Guidelines for German Museums Care of Collections from Colonial Contexts IMPRINT Guidelines for German Museums Care of Collections from Colonial Contexts 3rd Edition 2021 Publisher: German Museums Association Text: see “Contributors” English Translation: TechniText Translations Editing (English Edition): TechniText Translations Editing (German Edition): Sabine Lang Design: MATTHIES WEBER & SCHNEGG, Berlin Print: medialis Offsetdruck GmbH Cover photo: Provenance researcher Ndzodo Awono with a leopard figurine from Cameroon, Übersee-Museum Bremen Photograph: Volker Beinhorn The content of these Guidelines has been revised and these Guidelines thus replace all previous editions. The Guidelines are also published in German and French. Funded by © German Museums Association, Berlin, February 2021 ISBN 978-3-9819866-6-2 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY These Guidelines are a practical aid for all German museums on the care of col- lections from colonial contexts. They additionally provide an information base for international professional colleagues, political decision makers, as well as represen- tatives of post-colonial initiatives and diaspora communities. The Guidelines do not represent a position paper or legally binding instructions, however. The Guidelines enhance sensitivity Those in positions of responsibility at the museum should be aware that most of the items in their collections were not created or produced as a ‘museum exhibit’. They are a testimony of different cultures, with their own significances anchored in their communities of origin. In colonial contexts, the acquisition or creation of collection items can be associated with the use of force and/or pronounced dependency relationships. In addition, collection items which can be assigned to colonial contexts can reflect discriminato- ry representations and colonial or racist ideologies. The experiences which societies have gained in and with colonial structures are often part of their shared recollecti- on. They can have an impact on discussion and examination processes. The care of collections from colonial contexts requires a dialogue with communities of origin and other representatives which is characterised by respect, responsibility, and sensitivity. The Guidelines offer practical support Cases of colonial contexts are defined and illustrated with brief examples to help readers to work with the Guidelines. They do not represent a hierarchisation or cate- gorisation, but serve only as an aid for provenance research. These cases moreover illustrate the bandwidth and complex causes and interrelationships of colonial contexts. They provide answers to questions about the care of collections from colonial con- texts from all areas of museum work – collecting, preserving, researching, exhibiting and educating, as well as returning collection items. Provenance research and digi- tisation are key elements here to learn more about the collections and to facilitate a sustainable exchange of experience and knowledge, primarily with the communities of origin as well. The Guidelines describe the legal framework conditions for handling requests for the return of collection items and illustrate fundamental approaches to how returns may be managed. It must again be emphasised, however, that they are not legal instructions. The complexity of colonial contexts means that considering cases on an 4 individual basis is usually the only way to do justice to the needs and requirements of all parties involved and the significance of the collection items. Each individual museum has to define its own stance and its own approach to the care of collection items from colonial contexts. These Guidelines provide fundamen- tal starting points. The Guidelines hope to encourage all museums to enter into a transparent and constructive dialogue about colonial inheritance – on both the national and the international level. The Guidelines inform The Guidelines provide fundamental information on the topic of “colonialism and museums” from various disciplines and perspectives. In addition to articles on European colonialism and the history of collections from various genres of muse- ums, they also examine legal aspects and the different understanding of ownership and law from an ethnological perspective. The article on provenance research illus- trates methods which can be used to investigate the origin and acquisition context of collection items. International perspectives illustrate the significance of items in communities of origin and decolonisation opportunities in the management of collections and exhibitions. 5 CONTENTS 8 FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION – RESPONSIBILITY, AWARENESS, AND FUTURE-ORIENTED DIALOGUE 10 POLITICAL DEMANDS 12 INTRODUCTION – AN INTERDISCIPLINARY GUIDE TO ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH COLLECTIONS FROM COLONIAL CONTEXTS 17 ADDRESSES AND TERMINOLOGY 18 For Whom are these Guidelines Intended? 19 What do the Guidelines Class as Historically and Culturally Sensitive Collection Items? 21 What is Understood by Community of Origin? 23 What is the Geographic Scope and the Time Frame of these Guidelines? 23 What do the Guidelines mean by “Colonial Contexts”? 29 PRACTICAL GUIDANCE: CASES OF COLONIAL CONTEXTS 31 Case 1: Collections from Formal Colonial Rule Contexts 36 Case 2: Collections from Regions which were not Subject to Formal Colonial Rule 39 Case 3: Objects that Reflect Colonialism 42 Conclusion 42 Prioritisation when Examining Collections 45 PRACTICAL GUIDANCE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CARE OF COLLECTIONS FROM COLONIAL CONTEXTS 46 Collaboration with Communities of Origin 49 General Recommendations 57 Questions and Answers 57 Case1: Collections from Formal Colonial Rule Contexts 73 Case 2: Collections from Regions which were not Subject to Formal Colonial Rule 76 Case 3: Objects that Reflect Colonialism 80 Recommendations for the Returning of Collection Items 6 93 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 94 European Colonialism: Political, Economic and Cultural Aspects of Early Globalisation J. Zimmerer 105 Collection History: The Different Types of Museums and Their “(Post-) Colonial Heritage” L. Förster, M. Glaubrecht, K. Horst, S. Reuther, H.-J. Czech, V. Didczuneit, C. Grunenberg 123 The Significance of the Art and At.óow of the Tlingit of Southeast Alaska R. Worl 129 Decolonising Collections and Exhibition Management S. Akeli, Z. Rimmer, N. Kautondokwa, F. Pereira 147 Provenance Research – Research Sources, Methods, Possibilities J. Fine & H. Thode-Arora 153 Collections from Colonial Contexts: Legal Aspects C. Thielecke & M. Geißdorf 165 Remarks to Legal Questions from the Perspective of Social/Cultural Anthropology L. Förster 171 OVERVIEW OF FORMAL COLONIAL RULES 202 ABOUT THE GERMAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION 204 THE FEDERAL SYSTEM IN GERMANY 206 ANNEX 207 References and Selected Further Literature 211 Credits 212 Index 215 Contributors 7 FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION RESPONSIBILITY, AWARENESS, AND FUTURE- ORIENTED DIALOGUE Today’s world is networked on the global level, and this gives rise to fundamental ques- tions about the form and the quality of international relations. For a fair coexistence on an equal footing, it is imperative that the colonial systems of the past be reappraised. Questions relating to the care of collections from colonial contexts have therefore been central to a global societal discourse since the 1970s, and this discourse has grown in recent years, based on a communication and knowledge architecture which is becom- ing more and more accessible, but also challenged by new global problems. Communities of origin and countries of origin would like to know where key parts of their cultural heritage are located, and would like this heritage to be accessible to them. They demand a transparent dialogue on the care of the items concerned, a dis- cernible willingness to critically examine the colonial heritage, and an open-minded attitude towards the return of collection items. Post-colonial initiatives and repre- sentatives of diaspora communities are championing this as well. Participation on an equal footing, multi-perspectivity, and future-oriented forms of collaboration are fundamental aspects in the discussions. The German Museums Association would like to provide supporting information to help German museums critically examine the complex topic of “colonialism and collections”. To this end, the German Museums Association in collaboration with an inter disciplinary working group has drawn up the Guidelines on “Care of collections from colonial contexts”. The Guidelines are intended to play a part in making those in positions of responsibility more aware of the issue by providing information, and sensitising them to the perspectives of the communities of origin. In addition, prac- tical recommendations for action are given. For representatives of interest groups outside the museums, the Guidelines also provide in-depth insights into the tasks and issues associated with the care of collections from colonial contexts that German museums have to deal with. This publication is the third and final edition of these Guidelines. It is the result of a four-year review process, which was designed from the start to be transparent and without any preconceived results. Professional colleagues and other representatives of interest groups were able to make an active contribution to the revision of the texts by means of reviews or comments. In addition, the Guidelines were discussed in detail at an in-house workshop with twelve experts from Australia (Tasmania), Bolivia, Namibia, Nigeria, New Caledonia,