Today I had an enlightening day at the British Museum‘s off-site store, getting to interact with Caribbean artifacts for my project with Dr Amara Thornton. Many incredible objects were brought out from their careful wrapping by Curator Danny who heads up Latin & North America.
This is a drum from the Macusi tribe taken from Guyana and a shell spoon used by the indigenous Carib group of people, found in Barbados. I was astounded to learn that the collector used Caribbean prisoners to excavate these shell artifacts before he sold them on to Museums. Imagine that?
It would be brilliant if these Caribbean artifacts could be brought out of the stores and displayed in the museum alongside the story of the important role Caribbean people played in discovering them.
