Fijian Art: political power, sacred value, social transformation and collecting since the 18th century

该项目旨在发掘英国和其他博物馆收藏的斐济艺术、物质文化和相关档案和照片的杰出收藏品的学术和公共利益潜力。由于英国与斐济的航海、传教和殖民关系，这些迄今被忽视的大量藏品将被系统地研究、分析，并成为主要出版物、展览和外联活动的重点。斐济艺术品在视觉上令人印象深刻，制作精美；它们包括木雕和象牙雕塑、贝壳和象牙王冠、仪式设备、武器、陶器和大型装饰纺织品。作为基督教前和皈依后宗教活动的核心，这些文物中的许多在与英国人的关系中发挥了积极作用，导致英国博物馆收藏了大量藏品，往往受到汤加的严重影响。最重要的是剑桥大学考古与人类学博物馆(MAA)的斐济藏品，可能是世界上最重要的藏品。这些藏品包括2500多件物品、2000张照片、日记、田野笔记和素描，包括18世纪末以来斐济历史上各个时期的物品，以及殖民早期(19世纪70年代至90年代)的大量材料。其他杰出的收藏品在大英博物馆、牛津皮特河博物馆、利物浦世界博物馆、苏格兰国家博物馆和梅德斯通博物馆，而主要的海外收藏品在巴黎、塞勒姆、史密森学会和斐济博物馆。所有9家博物馆都作为官方项目合作伙伴与该项目合作。许多地区性的英国博物馆(在阿伯丁、埃克塞特、伊普斯威奇、伯明翰和其他地方)也将参与其中；国家档案馆也将是一个宝贵的资源。该项目以项目工作人员的专业知识为基础，与英国和海外博物馆(包括斐济博物馆)合作，将：-提供第一部全面的斐济艺术史。-加深对斐济艺术品和交换贵重物品的持久潜力的理解。-扩展关于交换的性质和更广泛的对象/人关系的理论视角，包括对性别、化身、等价物、神殿和文物的分析。-提供细致入微的收藏史，将揭示复杂和变化的斐济/英国关系。特别是在殖民时期早期(19世纪70年代至90年代)。-通过分析斐济的实地收藏及其对英国大型博物馆和人类学学科发展的影响，阐明英国思想史和学术史的趋势。-通过专家鉴定和收藏品分析来加强现有的博物馆文献，同时将主要博物馆与国际联系起来。-提高博物馆向不同观众展示和解释其藏品的能力。-通过出版物、研讨会和几个展览以及相关的教育推广活动，向包括英国斐济人在内的不同的专业和公众受众传播研究成果。-为博物馆/学术培训方案作出贡献，举办讲习班/馆长论坛，并让40名研究生参与与项目有关的课程作业。-为政策制定者提供对理解当代斐济政治的重要性的见解，了解各酋长之间根深蒂固的关系。该项目团队由东亚大学的史蒂文·胡珀教授领导，他是斐济专家，讲斐济语，有30多年的研究经验，其中包括MAA的高级策展人Anita Herle博士，她将监督MAA斐济藏品的研究。其他与会者包括斐济前和现任博物馆馆长Fergus Clunie和Sagale Buadromo，以及MAA馆长Nicholas Thomas教授(著名的太平洋专家，项目咨询委员会主席)；他们都将为许多出版物、展览和其他成果做出贡献。

This project aims to unlock the potential, for scholarly and public benefit, of the outstanding collections of Fijian art, material culture and associated archives and photographs held in UK and other museums. Originating from Britain's voyaging, missionary and colonial ties with Fiji, these extensive collections, hitherto neglected, will be systematically researched, analysed and made the focus of major publications, exhibitions and outreach activities. Fijian artworks are visually impressive and beautifully made; they include sculptures in wood and ivory, shell and ivory regalia, ritual equipment, weapons, pottery and large decorated textiles. Central to pre-Christian and post-conversion religious practices, and often heavily Tongan-influenced, many of these objects played an active role in relations with the British, resulting in significant collections in UK museums. Foremost are the Fijian collections at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), probably the most important in the world. With over 2,500 objects, 2000+ photographs, diaries, field notes and drawings, they include items from all periods of Fijian history since the late 18th century as well as extensive material from the early colonial period (1870s-90s). Other outstanding collections are in the British Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford, World Museum Liverpool, National Museum of Scotland and Maidstone Museum, while major overseas collections are in Paris, Salem, the Smithsonian Institution and the Fiji Museum. All 9 museums are collaborating with the project as official Project Partners. Many regional UK museums (in Aberdeen, Exeter, Ipswich, Birmingham and elsewhere) will also participate; the National Archives will also be a valuable resource. Building on the specialist expertise of project staff, working in partnership with UK and overseas museums (including the Fiji Museum), the project will:- Provide the first comprehensive history of Fijian art.- Contribute greater understanding of the enduring potency of Fijian artworks and exchange valuables.- Extend theoretical perspectives on the nature of exchange, and of object/person relations more widely, including analyses of gender, embodiment, equivalence, shrines and relics.- Provide a nuanced history of collecting which will illuminate complex and shifting Fijian/British relations, especially during the early colonial period (1870s-90s).- Elucidate trends in British intellectual and academic history through analysis of field collecting in Fiji and its implications for the development in Britain of major museums and the discipline of anthropology.- Enhance existing museum documentation with expert identification and analysis of collections, while linking key museums internationally.- Improve the ability of museums to display and interpret their collections for multiple audiences.- Disseminate research results to diverse specialist and public audiences, including UK-based Fijians, through publications, symposia and several exhibitions with associated educational outreach activities. - Contribute to museum/academic training programmes by holding workshops/curators' forum, and by involving 40+ graduate students in project-related course assignments.- Contribute insights for policy makers into the importance for understanding contemporary Fijian politics of historically-rooted relationships between chiefdoms. The project team, led by UEA's Professor Steven Hooper, a Fiji specialist and Fijian-speaker with over 30 years research experience, includes Dr Anita Herle, Senior Curator at MAA, who will oversee research on MAA's Fiji collections. Other participants include former and current Fiji Museum Directors Fergus Clunie and Sagale Buadromo, and MAA Director Professor Nicholas Thomas (a renowned Pacific specialist; chair of the project Advisory Committee); all will contribute to numerous publications, exhibitions and other outputs.