Best Ethnographic Sites?

Bill M · 16th January 2007, 12:23 AM

Vandoo's post about the museum "Les Invalides" brings to mind that there are many Ethnographic sites all over the world with fascinating items to see and enjoy.

We have a wonderful cross section of people with common interests on this Forum.

I would like to get opinions of places our members have been, or would like to go, and why. It would also be really great if we could know a bit more about where each member lives and what he or she might recommend seeing that might even be in their home city.

Anne and I intend to begin traveling soon. I think that it would be wonderful to meet some members and get a close look at some of their favorite places.

We have visited a few places and while there is little in Atlanta, unless you count the American Civil War from the Southern or Confederacy side, we can recommend the Micheal C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. We know the curator of African art from Capetown and the Curator of Egyptian.

Also the High Museum that has a good permanent African art collection. The curator there is very knowledgeable in African and particularly Burkina Faso. She is an initiate of the "People of the Do."

Museums we have visited and highly recommend are the "de Young," (Fantastic Oceanic and PNG items) The "Asian" in San Francisco.

The Metropolitan in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

Where have you been and what do you recommend? Whether weapons or artifacts?

RhysMichael · 16th January 2007, 12:48 AM

I've always wanted to go to the KIT. Their collections seem to be extensive.

http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/

Rick · 16th January 2007, 12:53 AM

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Mass.

Higgins Armory Worcester Mass. (I have yet to visit)

The Hermitage St. Petersburg RU.

Kremlin Museum Moscow RU.

RhysMichael · 16th January 2007, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick

Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Mass.

Higgins Armory Worcester Mass. (I have yet to visit)

The Hermitage St. Petersburg RU.

Kremlin Museum Moscow RU.

I'll be up in MA near the RI border and hope to put in enough time to make it over to the Higgins it will a bit of a drive but I am sure it will be worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

It would also be really great if we could know a bit more about where each member lives and what he or she might recommend seeing that might even be in their home city.

I missed this part but there is Agecroft Hall here. A tudor home taken apart and brought over from England and reassembled that is a nice place to stop. It has a great deal of period art and furniture. Next door to that is the Virginia house a 12th century home that was the Priory of the Augustinian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem in Warwick and also was taken apart and brought over here.

Emanuel · 16th January 2007, 01:27 AM

If you get up to Canada, I can suggest the Royal Ontario Museum and Casa Loma in Toronto. The ROM has an extensive asian collection with emphasis on China and Japan, a sizable native Indian section, and also a fairly large weapons and war exhibit. I'd suggest you visit it after June 2007 when the new additions will be complete. Casa Loma, a small castle - the fancy of Sir Henry Pellat, Commander of the Queen's Own Rifles regiment - also has a weapons room if I recall correctly. You can also visit Fort York, the remains of an old garrison.
In Quebec City I recommend the Citadel and there are various other musea in the old city.

In Romania I've visited the National Military Museum in Bucharest, which has a very nice and large collection basically covering the entire military history of the Romanian people. The Peles Palace in Sinaia is a wonder to see, with a phenomenal hunting/arms hall full of weapons from around the world and all times

. Then again, if you get to that part of the world, there's LOTS to see in Romania and the neighbouring countries.

Emanuel

Andrew · 16th January 2007, 03:56 AM

The Topkapi is someplace I'd like to visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkapi_Palace

VANDOO · 16th January 2007, 04:04 AM

IN MY AREA THERE ARE QUITE A FEW MUSEUMS DEALING WITH THE OLD WEST. THERE ARE SOME GOOD COLLECTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARTEFACTS MIXED IN WITH ART AND WESTERN ITEMS. IN TOWN THERE IS PHILBROOK (ART AND INDIAN POTTERY WITH A FEW WEAPONS), GILCREASE (MOSTLY ART BUT SOME ETHINOGRAPHIC ITEMS AND A LOT OF NATIVE AMERICAN ITEMS FROM SPIRO MOUNDS) ,THE ORIENTAL ARTS MUSEUM (MOSTLY MODERN CHINESE ART WITH A FEW GOOD OLD ITEMS)

IN CLAREMORE 25 MILES AWAY THERE IS THE DAVIS GUN MUSEUM (BILLED AS THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF GUNS IN THE WORLD) IT ALSO HAS SOME EDGED WEAPONS , NATIVE AMERICAN ITEMS AS WELL AS OTHER INTERESTING ITEMS. THE WILL RODGERS MUSEUM (WESTERN ITEMS, NATIVE AMERICAN AND WILL RODGERS ITEMS)

NORTH OF TULSA IS THE WOLAROCK MUSEUM (MY FAVORITE IT HAS GUNS, EDGED WEAPONS,NATIVE AMERICAN AND OTHER NEAT ITEMS) I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE OLD HUNTING LODGE WHERE THE EARLY OIL MEN AND CELEBRITYS USED TO HANG OUT AND GAMBLE. THE HISTORY OF THE PHILLIPS RANCH IS VERY INTERESTING BY ITS SELF.

THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER SMALL MUSEUMS AROUND THE STATE FROM A BARBED WIRE MUSEUM TO A LININ MUSEUM. THERE IS A SMALL MUSEUM IN OKLAHOMA CITY THAT HAS SOME INCERDIBLE ITEMS FROM WW2 IN IT. THE MUSEUM IS ABOUT THE UNIT THAT TOOK HITLERS EAGLES NEST AND BROUGHT BACK LOTS OF SOUVINEERS FROM THERE.

ITS DIFFICULT TO SAY WHICH MUSEUMS IN OTHER COUNTRYS ARE BEST AS THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD ONES. THE BRITISH MUSEUM IN LONDON IS GREAT, WARRWICK CASTLE UP NEAR STRATFORD IS VERY GOOD THE GREAT HALL IS NOT TO BE MISSED, LOTS OF WEAPONS THRU OUT AS WELL AS A GHOST AND A VERY CREEPY DUNGEON. THE KROLLER MULLER MUSEUM (NETHERLANDS OR GERMANY

) IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A GOOD ETHINOGRAPHIC COLLECTION BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SEE IT BUT DID SEE THE BEST VAN GOUGH PAINTINGS I HAVE SEEN THERE.
THERE IS A ETHINOGRAPHIC MUSEUM IN PARIS THAT HAS SOME VERY GOOD EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART AND WEAPONS. THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN PARIS IS THE OLD FASHONED KIND I LIKE BEST AND HAS SOME GREAT SPECIMINS. THE OTHER ARMS MUSEUM I MENTIONED IN PARIS IS ALSO VERY GOOD BUT DEALS WITH MILITARY AND COURT ITEMS NOT ETHINOGRAPHIC. THERE ARE MANY MORE BUT I WILL END HERE FOR NOW.

Bill M · 17th January 2007, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

I've always wanted to go to the KIT. Their collections seem to be extensive.

http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/

http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/smartsite...ch=FAB&id=5853

Here is their website in english. I think this is the museum that Dajak (Ben) and VVV (Michael) have mentioned. It would be great to plan a trip there and perhaps meet members who live nearby and know their way around this Museum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manolo

In Quebec City I recommend the Citadel and there are various other musea in the old city.
Emanuel

http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/section.php?lang=en&id=4

I wish I had posted this thread sooner. Did not know about this museum when we visited Quebec City last year. We found Quebec a bit difficult to navigate because english is not common and we don't speak french. It would have been better to have known someone there who could help us find and visit interesting places.

And it would be great to meet members of this forum and see personal collections.

Let me know if y'all (Southern expression for "you all") ever visit Atlanta Georgia (the one in the USA). I could take you to visit my friend Dent Meyers "Wildman" Civil War collection.

"The Best Little War House in Kennesaw" (Georgia)

http://www.wildmans-shop.com/

VVV · 17th January 2007, 01:48 PM

For internet visits I also recommend Leiden and their collection database.

http://www.rmv.nl/index.aspx?lang=en

Michael

Emanuel · 17th January 2007, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Marsh

http://www.lacitadelle.qc.ca/section.php?lang=en&id=4

I wish I had posted this thread sooner. Did not know about this museum when we visited Quebec City last year. We found Quebec a bit difficult to navigate because english is not common and we don't speak french. It would have been better to have known someone there who could help us find and visit interesting places.

I saw it years ago as a kid, but I will certainly go there again perhaps in summer. They have a very large collection.

It's great that technology is being embraced by so many musea, and that they are digitizing their collections. It will certainly facilitate research in the future.
I just went to the ROM today and it was a disappointment. Most of the ethno exhibits are closed off due to renovations, so if anyone is planning to drop by Toronto, put it off until late summer.
Emanuel

yuanzhumin · 18th January 2007, 02:10 AM

For a trip, Paris is a center of ethnographic art with all its specialised galeries in the city itself or in the Saint Ouen Flea Market, on its periphery. For the museums, the recently opened Museum of Quai Branly shouldn't be missed even if some may not like the way the pieces are displayed there. This museum has one of the biggest, if not the biggest, collection of primitive art. On its 300 000 pieces collected, only 3 000 are exhibited. It has a branch in the Louvre Museum with one hundred primitive art masterworks displayed there that should not be missed either - among them, an extraordinary Paiwan central house pillar.
Here is the link to the museum (most of its collections can be seen online):
http://www2.quaibranly.fr/index.php?id=accueil
In Taipei, where I live, ethnographic museums or exhibits are very small and limited to the formosan aboriginal art (we had one temporary exhibit of African primitive art few years ago). The Shungyi Museum of Formosan Art is the easiest to visit as it is located nearly next to the National Palace Museum and very well organised. Then, there is mostly the National Taiwan Museum, the Taiwan National University Exhibit Hall (only open 4 h a week) and the Academia Sinica (closed for a while as it is going through renovation works).

ArmsAndAntiques · 3rd January 2014, 03:23 AM

Several more museums to visit, I'm surprised some of these have yet to be mentioned.

Newark Museum- One of the finest collections of Tibetan items in the Western Hemisphere (at least on display, the Smithsonian Anthropology archives has some top notch stuff but it's all packed away) They have a magnificent Ottoman dagger in quasi-Sino-Tibetan mounts. Really interesting as well as some Indonesian and other items. Worth the visit if you want to brave downtown Newark. Not so bad really.

Walters Museum of Art (Baltimore)- World class quality Islamic arms and armor, some fine Japanese items, and some European.

Art Institute of Chicago- Awesome section on European arms and armor. They have some wonderful stuff in the archives also.

Museum of Cultural History (Oslo)- great ethnographic collection. I'm always surprised by how much is in Scandinavia, and Norway in particular, until you realize they were part of the Danes for so long and the seafaring merchants and burghers of Oslo must have brought back loads of stuff as well.

Forsvarsmuseet (Oslo)- A great military museum with quite a few ethnographic items in the mix. Main focus on Europe but a real cracker jack collection, with awesome cannons especially. One of the only real sled cannons I've seen in person.

Many more out there. A comprehensive list would be ideal. But not enough time...

16th January 2007, 12:23 AM	#1
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	Best Ethnographic Sites? Vandoo's post about the museum "Les Invalides" brings to mind that there are many Ethnographic sites all over the world with fascinating items to see and enjoy. We have a wonderful cross section of people with common interests on this Forum. I would like to get opinions of places our members have been, or would like to go, and why. It would also be really great if we could know a bit more about where each member lives and what he or she might recommend seeing that might even be in their home city. Anne and I intend to begin traveling soon. I think that it would be wonderful to meet some members and get a close look at some of their favorite places. We have visited a few places and while there is little in Atlanta, unless you count the American Civil War from the Southern or Confederacy side, we can recommend the Micheal C. Carlos Museum at Emory University. We know the curator of African art from Capetown and the Curator of Egyptian. Also the High Museum that has a good permanent African art collection. The curator there is very knowledgeable in African and particularly Burkina Faso. She is an initiate of the "People of the Do." Museums we have visited and highly recommend are the "de Young," (Fantastic Oceanic and PNG items) The "Asian" in San Francisco. The Metropolitan in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington DC. Where have you been and what do you recommend? Whether weapons or artifacts?

18th January 2007, 02:10 AM	#11
yuanzhumin Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ex-Taipei, Taiwan, now in Shanghai, China Posts: 180	Museums For a trip, Paris is a center of ethnographic art with all its specialised galeries in the city itself or in the Saint Ouen Flea Market, on its periphery. For the museums, the recently opened Museum of Quai Branly shouldn't be missed even if some may not like the way the pieces are displayed there. This museum has one of the biggest, if not the biggest, collection of primitive art. On its 300 000 pieces collected, only 3 000 are exhibited. It has a branch in the Louvre Museum with one hundred primitive art masterworks displayed there that should not be missed either - among them, an extraordinary Paiwan central house pillar. Here is the link to the museum (most of its collections can be seen online): http://www2.quaibranly.fr/index.php?id=accueil In Taipei, where I live, ethnographic museums or exhibits are very small and limited to the formosan aboriginal art (we had one temporary exhibit of African primitive art few years ago). The Shungyi Museum of Formosan Art is the easiest to visit as it is located nearly next to the National Palace Museum and very well organised. Then, there is mostly the National Taiwan Museum, the Taiwan National University Exhibit Hall (only open 4 h a week) and the Academia Sinica (closed for a while as it is going through renovation works).

16th January 2007, 12:48 AM	#2
RhysMichael Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Virginia Posts: 520	I've always wanted to go to the KIT. Their collections seem to be extensive. http://www.tropenmuseum.nl/

16th January 2007, 12:53 AM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,290	Peabody Essex Museum in Salem Mass. Higgins Armory Worcester Mass. (I have yet to visit) The Hermitage St. Petersburg RU. Kremlin Museum Moscow RU.

16th January 2007, 01:27 AM	#5
Emanuel Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 1,242	If you get up to Canada, I can suggest the Royal Ontario Museum and Casa Loma in Toronto. The ROM has an extensive asian collection with emphasis on China and Japan, a sizable native Indian section, and also a fairly large weapons and war exhibit. I'd suggest you visit it after June 2007 when the new additions will be complete. Casa Loma, a small castle - the fancy of Sir Henry Pellat, Commander of the Queen's Own Rifles regiment - also has a weapons room if I recall correctly. You can also visit Fort York, the remains of an old garrison. In Quebec City I recommend the Citadel and there are various other musea in the old city. In Romania I've visited the National Military Museum in Bucharest, which has a very nice and large collection basically covering the entire military history of the Romanian people. The Peles Palace in Sinaia is a wonder to see, with a phenomenal hunting/arms hall full of weapons from around the world and all times . Then again, if you get to that part of the world, there's LOTS to see in Romania and the neighbouring countries. Emanuel

16th January 2007, 03:56 AM	#6
Andrew Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: USA Posts: 1,725	The Topkapi is someplace I'd like to visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topkapi_Palace

16th January 2007, 04:04 AM	#7
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	IN MY AREA THERE ARE QUITE A FEW MUSEUMS DEALING WITH THE OLD WEST. THERE ARE SOME GOOD COLLECTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARTEFACTS MIXED IN WITH ART AND WESTERN ITEMS. IN TOWN THERE IS PHILBROOK (ART AND INDIAN POTTERY WITH A FEW WEAPONS), GILCREASE (MOSTLY ART BUT SOME ETHINOGRAPHIC ITEMS AND A LOT OF NATIVE AMERICAN ITEMS FROM SPIRO MOUNDS) ,THE ORIENTAL ARTS MUSEUM (MOSTLY MODERN CHINESE ART WITH A FEW GOOD OLD ITEMS) IN CLAREMORE 25 MILES AWAY THERE IS THE DAVIS GUN MUSEUM (BILLED AS THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF GUNS IN THE WORLD) IT ALSO HAS SOME EDGED WEAPONS , NATIVE AMERICAN ITEMS AS WELL AS OTHER INTERESTING ITEMS. THE WILL RODGERS MUSEUM (WESTERN ITEMS, NATIVE AMERICAN AND WILL RODGERS ITEMS) NORTH OF TULSA IS THE WOLAROCK MUSEUM (MY FAVORITE IT HAS GUNS, EDGED WEAPONS,NATIVE AMERICAN AND OTHER NEAT ITEMS) I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE OLD HUNTING LODGE WHERE THE EARLY OIL MEN AND CELEBRITYS USED TO HANG OUT AND GAMBLE. THE HISTORY OF THE PHILLIPS RANCH IS VERY INTERESTING BY ITS SELF. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER SMALL MUSEUMS AROUND THE STATE FROM A BARBED WIRE MUSEUM TO A LININ MUSEUM. THERE IS A SMALL MUSEUM IN OKLAHOMA CITY THAT HAS SOME INCERDIBLE ITEMS FROM WW2 IN IT. THE MUSEUM IS ABOUT THE UNIT THAT TOOK HITLERS EAGLES NEST AND BROUGHT BACK LOTS OF SOUVINEERS FROM THERE. ITS DIFFICULT TO SAY WHICH MUSEUMS IN OTHER COUNTRYS ARE BEST AS THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD ONES. THE BRITISH MUSEUM IN LONDON IS GREAT, WARRWICK CASTLE UP NEAR STRATFORD IS VERY GOOD THE GREAT HALL IS NOT TO BE MISSED, LOTS OF WEAPONS THRU OUT AS WELL AS A GHOST AND A VERY CREEPY DUNGEON. THE KROLLER MULLER MUSEUM (NETHERLANDS OR GERMANY ) IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A GOOD ETHINOGRAPHIC COLLECTION BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SEE IT BUT DID SEE THE BEST VAN GOUGH PAINTINGS I HAVE SEEN THERE. THERE IS A ETHINOGRAPHIC MUSEUM IN PARIS THAT HAS SOME VERY GOOD EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART AND WEAPONS. THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM IN PARIS IS THE OLD FASHONED KIND I LIKE BEST AND HAS SOME GREAT SPECIMINS. THE OTHER ARMS MUSEUM I MENTIONED IN PARIS IS ALSO VERY GOOD BUT DEALS WITH MILITARY AND COURT ITEMS NOT ETHINOGRAPHIC. THERE ARE MANY MORE BUT I WILL END HERE FOR NOW.

17th January 2007, 01:48 PM	#9
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	For internet visits I also recommend Leiden and their collection database. http://www.rmv.nl/index.aspx?lang=en Michael

3rd January 2014, 03:23 AM	#12
ArmsAndAntiques Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 80	Several more museums to visit, I'm surprised some of these have yet to be mentioned. Newark Museum- One of the finest collections of Tibetan items in the Western Hemisphere (at least on display, the Smithsonian Anthropology archives has some top notch stuff but it's all packed away) They have a magnificent Ottoman dagger in quasi-Sino-Tibetan mounts. Really interesting as well as some Indonesian and other items. Worth the visit if you want to brave downtown Newark. Not so bad really. Walters Museum of Art (Baltimore)- World class quality Islamic arms and armor, some fine Japanese items, and some European. Art Institute of Chicago- Awesome section on European arms and armor. They have some wonderful stuff in the archives also. Museum of Cultural History (Oslo)- great ethnographic collection. I'm always surprised by how much is in Scandinavia, and Norway in particular, until you realize they were part of the Danes for so long and the seafaring merchants and burghers of Oslo must have brought back loads of stuff as well. Forsvarsmuseet (Oslo)- A great military museum with quite a few ethnographic items in the mix. Main focus on Europe but a real cracker jack collection, with awesome cannons especially. One of the only real sled cannons I've seen in person. Many more out there. A comprehensive list would be ideal. But not enough time...