2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The Ethnological Museum of the SPK is intensifying its collaboration with the Colombian ICANH (Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia) and the indigenous Kogi community. In 2023, the SPK restituted two Kogi masks to Colombia. Three objects belonging to the masks are now travelling to Colombia on loan in order to deepen the joint exchange on the objects and prepare for the planned return of these ritually significant objects. In addition, the historical sound recordings from the 19th century will be researched together.

The artefacts come from the indigenous Kogi (also known as Kogui) community from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia. They were acquired for the museum by Konrad Theodor Preuss in 1915 as part of a research trip. They are objects with a ritual background and still have great sacred significance for the Kogi today.

The SPK had already been in contact with representatives of the indigenous organisation Gonavindúa Tayrona and the ICANH (Instituto Colombiano de Antropología e Historia) for several years until Colombia finally officially requested the return of the masks. These were handed over in June 2023 during the visit of Colombian President Gustavo Petro Urrego to German President Steinmeier. Subsequently, at the request of the Kogi, the Ethnological Museum conducted further research into the three objects that have now been returned to Colombia in order to clarify their significance. The objects in question are a staff, a headpiece and a basket (inventory numbers V A 62644, V A 62645, V A 62607), which were apparently used in the same ritual and in combination with the masks, so that restitution is also being sought from both sides. On the basis of the loan, further research is now to be carried out on site together with ICANH and the Kogi. Following approval by the SPK Foundation Board, a formal transfer of ownership is also planned.

Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture and the Media: "The traditions and rituals, the customs and culture of the Kogi are an important part of Colombia. In June 2023, two Kogi masks from the collection of the Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin were restituted by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. With the loans agreed today, we are continuing on this path and thus deepening the exchange with our partners in Colombia and in the Kogi community. Our aim is to officially transfer ownership of the artefacts as soon as possible. As Chairwoman of the SPK Foundation Board, I will work towards this goal."

Hermann Parzinger, President of the SPK: "The return of the masks was the right solution because of their unique background. It is also supported by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of September 2007. In the course of the restitution, we were able to expand our cooperation with our Colombian partners and continue our joint research. The identification of the three additional artefacts is a success of this research, which we want to further intensify with the loan that has now been made. At the same time, we are continuing our trust-based preparations for the possible return of the objects."

Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, who handed over the objects during the World Nature Conference currently taking place in Cali, Colombia, said: "I am delighted to have the honour of representing Germany in helping to return cultural assets. To places where they have a special meaning, where they can tell their story and unfold their impact. We also want to strengthen the rights and significance of indigenous peoples. This is just as important to us at the current World Conference on Nature in Cali as it is in the area of culture."
Yadir Salazar Mejía, Ambassador of Colombia to Germany: "After more than a hundred years in Germany, three more ritual objects of the Kogi are returning to Colombia, to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. This new milestone confirms the constructive dialogue and excellent cooperation between the SPK and Colombia. My special thanks go to the Minister of State for Culture, Claudia Roth, for her active support in the realisation of this important event for culture and heritage in the context of COP16."

Alhena Caicedo, Director of ICANH (Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History): "A handover like this of the three ritual objects of the Kogi people helps to fulfil the demands of Colombian indigenous communities for the return of the objects, which are located outside the country. We hope that the handover of the three objects at COP16 will help to further strengthen the cooperation between the SPK and Colombia to promote scientific and educational research and dissemination - a common interest of both nations so that this cultural heritage can be publicised and preserved."

Lars-Christian Koch, Director of the Ethnological Museum and Museum of Asian Art, presented the objects and audio recordings in the context of COP16. He explained: "I am very pleased about the intensified cooperation - at the beginning of 2025, a member of the museum's staff will be travelling to Colombia for joint research. The fact that we are already bringing the objects to Colombia should also be a clear sign that we respect indigenous knowledge very differently today than we did a few years ago. For the Kogi, the objects in question are central to rituals related to their land, such as rain and drought prevention. COP16, with its focus on biodiversity, is an ideal setting to send such a signal."

In addition to the three objects, the sound recordings made by Preuss at various locations in Colombia will also be handed over to the Colombian partners in digital form, including the documentation. As part of the planned research visit by the scientist from the Ethnological Museum, the historical sound recordings will be processed by Preuss together with the Kogi, which have now also been handed over in digital form. There are 17 recordings of around 3 minutes each, the exact content and classification of which will be researched. In addition, further objects from the Preuss Collection are being prepared for joint research, which will focus on acquisition contexts and the reactivation of knowledge about the production and use of the objects.

Provenance: The Preuss Collection

The objects were acquired in 1915 by Konrad Theodor Preuss, ethnologist and curator of the Königliches Museum für Völkerkunde, the predecessor institution of the Ethnologisches Museum. On a research trip to Colombia between 1913 and 1919, Preuss collected a total of over 700 objects, of which around 440 are still preserved in the Ethnological Museum. The rest were lost during the war. At the centre of his research, however, was an examination of the oral traditions of the peoples he visited.

As part of the journey, Preuss also spent several months with the Kogi, whose self-designation is Kágaba, where the audio recordings were made. In collaboration with several Mamas, he recorded myths and songs in the Kágaba language (kougian) and published them with a translation in 1926. He also amassed a small collection of Kogi artefacts, around 80 of which are still preserved today. Preuss acquired the two masks from the heir of a deceased Mama, "thanks to a favourable opportunity", as he wrote in his book "Forschungsreise zu den Kágaba" (1926).

More about Konrad Theodor Preuss in a virtual exhibition in the DDB: https://ausstellungen.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/preuss/

Press photos:
www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de/newsroom/presse/pressebilder.html