Renewal

Asia Pathway

Independently of the rediscovery of forgotten pieces that we took the opportunity to highlight, the major rotation of works in the permanent exhibition display cases allowed the Asia department to rethink the collections on four particularly important fronts.

Firstly, this update has allowed for a reflective reconsideration of the nature of the Asian collections. This region of the world, often romanticized by the West for several centuries, is presented in a way that juxtaposes an objective view of the major Eastern cultural areas with the way in which the European gaze has appropriated these spaces. Fascination with the Orient became a significant motif in Western arts and literature as early as the 18th century. Established in 1901, the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva immediately reflected the vogue for Far Eastern objects. A significant portion of the MEG's Asian collections still reflects a Western vision of Asia, blending aesthetic emotion with an attraction to the exotic. As such, these collections evoke as much about the West itself as they do about the territories they claim to illustrate.

At the same time, the rotation of works has allowed for the correction of factual descriptive errors. One example is the sealed jar from Sumatra, which has long been presented at the MEG as a container for pupuk, a controversial magical mixture made from human remains. In truth, the MEG has always been unaware of the jar's contents, and a recent study of the object suggests that sensationalism may have previously overshadowed the institution's scientific integrity. It was therefore urgent for the MEG to correct such inaccuracies without concealing the corrective process.

The rotation also highlighted the long-forgotten collection of Asian popular ceramics. This collection was initiated by the ethnologist and ceramist Horace van Berchem (1904-1982). A collaborator at the MEG since 1951 and eager to give the institution a unique disciplinary focus, he proposed the creation of a universal collection of everyday ceramics. H. van Berchem, aided by a growing network, enriched this collection through numerous field trips in Europe, Central America, North Africa, and Asia between 1959 and 1971. This carefully curated collection has continued to grow over time and now comprises several thousand pieces.

The rotation also illuminated more popular material expressions of the major Asian religious movements: modest figurines, pilgrimage souvenirs, folk iconography, and votive objects. The Asia department of the MEG holds, due to its history, collections of Asian sacred art of great richness. This abundance of sumptuous pieces can sometimes overshadow the fact that the materiality of religious sentiment is equally expressed through modest objects, which, from an anthropological perspective, hold no less value.

Americas Pathway

The reworking of the MEG's permanent exhibition highlights current research on provenance as well as collaborations between the museum and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. In the museum's imagination, the Americas have often been associated with great pre-Columbian civilizations and their spectacular pyramids, the bison hunts of the northern "Plains Indians," and the hunter-gatherers of impenetrable Amazonian forests. However, Indigenous peoples of the continent now invite us to challenge these representations, to listen to new stories, and to reflect on how to care for these collections at the MEG.

The primary voices of these new stories belong to the Indigenous peoples themselves, and the MEG fully recognizes their rights to their cultural heritage. Thus, the shrunken head, or tsantsa, of the Shuar, which was previously displayed in the permanent exhibition, was removed in 2020 due to the lack of formal consent from the Shuar people to exhibit it. In 2023, a sacred traditional medicine mask and a ceremonial rattle were also removed from the exhibition and returned at the request of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of North America. The public exhibition of medicine masks is prohibited, as it interferes with the sacred duties and special functions of the masks. These objects are also part of the new "Dialogue Pathway" within the exhibition, which tells their stories and indicates their former locations in the display cases to convey their cultural value and the evolution of museum practices.

Recent research on provenance allows us to understand how the market and trafficking of pre-Columbian objects have contributed to the looting of archaeological sites by huaqueros (grave robbers), leading to the emergence of countless forgers as early as the late 19th century. For example, thanks to the excellent state of preservation of pre-Hispanic textiles from the Peruvian coast, it has been possible to reconstruct or create "fake" Chancay dolls from pieces of archaeological fabric.

Other additions to the Americas Pathway highlight contemporary Indigenous creation, such as the painting titled Tïntukai (Deforestation) by Guyanese artist Ti’iwan Couchili, created in 2020. This work addresses the devastation caused by illegal gold extraction, one of the main contributors to environmental degradation and the declining living conditions of local populations in the Amazon. This new configuration of the exhibition also showcases four dance masks created for the MEG by Ts’msyen sculptor Gyibaawm Laxha – David Robert Boxley from Metlakatla in 2021. These masks evoke the traditional tale of the Prince who was captured by the Salmon and remind us of our collective responsibility towards natural resources.

Europe Pathway

The reworking of the exhibition "The Archives of Human Diversity" has allowed for the presentation of a selection from the collection of Swiss ex-votos assembled by the Geneva collector Georges Amoudruz (1900-1975) throughout his life.
Ex voto is an abbreviation of ex-voto suscepto, a Latin phrase that literally means "according to the promise made." This formula was often inscribed on objects offered in Christian sanctuaries to thank the divine recipient for answering a prayer. Over time, the term has come to refer not only to the act of offering but also to the object itself, applying it to votive offerings from the ancient world and later to those from other cultural and religious contexts. A significant number of ex-votos are related to health, but they can also pertain to all aspects of life, including agricultural work, travel, commerce, home, family members, pets, material possessions, buildings, land properties, and tools.

In theory, any object used in this context can be classified as an ex-voto. The distinction between an everyday object and a votive object lies in the function attributed to it: in the case of the ex-voto, what matters is not the intrinsic value of the object but the significance it was given at the time of the offering. Since any object can become an ex-voto, this category includes a wide variety of items, varying in value depending on the status, means of the offeror, or the nature of the request made. Thus, one can find in sanctuaries both used crutches and luxurious jewelry, as well as work tools like weaving weights or clothing accessories such as belt buckles.

While it is impossible to provide an exhaustive list of all possible forms of ex-voto, a classification of the different types (Morel 1992) allows us to distinguish between objects specifically made to be offered as votives and those that were originally created for another purpose and later imbued with this particular mission.

For an object to transition from the profane sphere to the sacred sphere, it must be rendered 'different' in some way. This change of status can occur through a ritual, such as processions where offerings are brought to sanctuaries, or by modifying the physical characteristics of the object, for example, by adding inscriptions.

However, the primary characteristic of ex-votos is not always visible to the naked eye, as it arises from the votive intention. In this sense, ex-votos become, after their consecration, liminal objects—meaning objects that exist at the boundary between very different worlds. They serve as intermediaries between the private and public spheres, as they must be displayed for viewing. They reference exchanges and can hold significant symbolic or market value, yet they are systematically removed from the commercial circulation of goods.

A collection of small painted canvases and tablets from Swiss territory is showcased in the permanent exhibition. The scenes depict the event or object to which the received grace refers, thus providing a better understanding of certain aspects of popular devotion in a country shaped by diverse cultures, languages, and religious sensibilities.

Africa Pathway

A few months before his passing in 2013, the famous Malian sociologist Youssouf Tata Cissé visited the ciwara crest masks of Bamana origin held at the MEG. He came to play his own role for the filming of the movie San by Jacques Sarasin, in which the Africa reserves of the MEG served as the backdrop for a scene. He stated the following:

"The masks are, above all, cultural objects crafted with seriousness, named like human beings, consecrated as deities or spirits of ancestors, and revered as such. Whoever does not know the origin of a mask, the myths, songs, and dances specific to it, knows nothing of that mask."

His words reflect the truth of African collections in museums, composed of objects or fragments whose identity, creation narrative, ownership, and journey outside their original territory often remain poorly documented. The changes made in the African displays of the MEG's permanent exhibition "The Archives of Human Diversity" support a desire to decentralize the discourse by offering descriptions signed by invited guests who wish to share their perspectives and experiences regarding the interpretation of the highlighted pieces.

In this dynamic, Ethiopian and Swiss artist Kidist Degaffe agreed to select objects from the Ethiopian collection of the MEG that could engage in dialogue with her portrait of a woman wearing injera, the Ethiopian teff flatbread, as "a symbol of the tenacity and migration of peoples." According to her, this co-construction experience is "a laboratory that allowed for the interpretation, rediscovery, and reliving of objects through the lens of the museum."

The reworking of certain display cases also quietly expresses the essential and constructive criticisms that have been conveyed to the MEG over the past decade, which the Museum wished to fully respect. Thus, sacred and funerary objects containing relics have been removed from their pedestals and are now isolated. The bronzes and ivory tusks from the Kingdom of Benin, which are at the center of current debates surrounding restitution, will return to their place in early 2025, once the exhibition "Memories: Geneva in the Colonial World" is completed, allowing them to share the progress of the ongoing process between Nigeria and Swiss public museums with the audiences of the MEG.
 

Oceania Pathway

The Oceania section of the permanent exhibition "The Archives of Human Diversity" has been partially renewed. Due to their fragility, some objects had to be replaced (for example, a few tapa and objects decorated with feathers). Continuing to display them could have caused significant damage.

The most significant change concerns the presentation of human remains. In 2014, during the reopening of the MEG, some objects made entirely or partially from human remains were exhibited. Their presence was justified by the fundamental aspect of their ritual use and because it provided insights for understanding their culture of origin. In the interest of transparency, they were accompanied by explanations about their significance, function, conditions of acquisition, and context of use. The MEG's position was to present only the human remains of communities that had not openly expressed their disagreement. However, in light of the ongoing changes and discussions surrounding this sensitive topic, what was considered acceptable in 2014 would no longer be so in the near future.

For the reopening of the permanent exhibition in 2024, the MEG has decided to continue exhibiting human remains only after obtaining permission from the community of origin. Exchanges have begun with four museums and cultural centers from French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, the Indonesian province of Papua, and Vanuatu regarding the presentation of six human remains. The negotiations have also provided an opportunity to initiate or continue discussions about the objects housed at the MEG. Three of these four institutions responded and granted permission for the presentation of four human remains. One contact did not respond despite numerous inquiries, which can be attributed to a delicate transitional situation in the museum's leadership.

In the permanent exhibition, the human remains that have received authorization are marked with a yellow banner indicating the objects for which the MEG has initiated a dialogue. The two others, for which no response has been obtained so far, have been removed, but their labels remain visible with the note "Dialogue in Progress."

Ethnomusicology Pathway

The two large display cases dedicated to the presentation of musical instrument collections were designed in 2014 to showcase the richness of instrumental craftsmanship across the five continents. About sixty instruments are displayed, linked to approximately fifty musical pieces that allow visitors to hear the instruments in their playing context. One of the display cases (no. 18) is structured according to organological classification, a choice motivated by the desire to show instruments from all continents and to present a wide variety of musical repertoires from diverse origins.

However, this design approach has evident limitations, particularly because the classification does not do justice to indigenous conceptions of what a musical instrument represents locally. It also imposes significant museological constraints: the radical option of emptying the display case to create a new narrative is not feasible at the moment, so the only possible modifications are to replace one specific type of instrument with another. Additionally, it was decided to retain the display that traces the major moments in the history of ethnomusicology at the MEG (display case no. 20), from the founding of the International Archives of Popular Music by Constantin Brăiloiu in 1944 to the research work of Laurent Aubert.

The decision was made to limit the rotation of instruments to those at risk of degradation due to prolonged exposure, particularly to light. The only notable change concerns the Australian rhombus, which was previously displayed but has now been removed to maintain consistency and respect the perspective of Indigenous communities, for whom the rhombus is primarily used as a ritual object associated with certain taboos, rather than as a musical instrument. In its place, one of the three duduks gifted to the MEG by the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia in Geneva in March 2023 has been installed. This donation fills a significant gap in the MEG's collections, as the museum previously had no duduk, despite this instrument's major emblematic and identity value for the Armenian people. This duduk comes from a series of around one hundred examples made in the 2000s and tuned by Master Jivan Gasparyan, who is also the performer of the musical piece associated with the instrument.