23. Report of the Curator of the Pitt Rivers Museum (Department of Ethnology and Prehistory) for the year ending 31 July 1972
The University Surveyor, in collaboration with the curatorial staff of the Museum, produced an outline report on possible ways of using part of the site formerly reserved for the Pitt Rivers Museum and Centre for the Study of Anthropology and Human Environment. This was considered by the Committee for the Pitt Rivers Collection and accepted as the best available programme of development in the inevitably slow progress towards a revised architectural plan. Careful attention is being given to analyses of the ethnographic and archaeological collections (for which financial assistance from the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research is gratefully acknowledged) as a preliminary to planning accessible reserve storage as well as revised teaching displays.
For financial reasons the University can only envisage development by stages and has proposed a modular programme where the accommodation would lend itself to continuously changing use and rearrangement in response to changes in teaching requirements and display and research needs.
During the year the University allocated some hutment space behind No. I South Parks Road, which is providing welcome relief to the overall space problem. Part of this area has been equipped as a new conservation laboratory, and is being staffed jointly from University finance and funds to be provided by the South East Area Museums Service.
Staff
The vacancy for Assistant Curator caused by the appointment of Dr. Schuyler Jones to the new combined post of Lecturer in Ethnology and Assistant Curator was filled by the appointment of Mr. D.B. Tayler, and the additional new post of Assistant Curator was filled by Professor R.R. Inskeep, Head of the Department of Archaeology in the School of African Studies of the University of Cape Town.
In the course of an exhaustive review of the Museum staff priorities, it was decided to strengthen the technical, library, and administrative capacity by the reversion of the post of Museum Assistant (vacated during the year) to that of Display Technician, with two new posts, one for a Junior Technician in-training and the other for a Library/Clerical Assistant.
Sabbatical leave for the Curator for the academic year 1972-3 was approved and Mr. R.R. Inskeep was appointed Acting Curator and Dr. Schuyler Jones Secretary of the Committee for the Pitt Rivers Collection for this period.
Especial thanks are due to Mr. James Craig for completing the arrangement of the collection of air photographs and for having successfully transferred them to the new rooms in South Parks Road and arranged them for ease of consultation as part of a new Documentation Unit. All this invaluable work has been carried out in an honorary capacity.
Exhibitions
The third special exhibition, Nuristan -the Land of Light, was opened on 1 February 1972.
Teaching, Research and External Academic Activities
Mr. D.F.W. Baden-Powell continued his honorary research work on the Stone Age collections in the Museum.
Miss B.M. Blackwood continued in her honorary capacity to maintain the three card indexes, originally designed by her, which have proved over the years to be an invaluable aid to visiting scholars and to the conduct of research by postal and telephone inquiry, which continues to grow in volume. Miss Blackwood continued to serve on the Committee of the Folklore Society and on the General Committee of the Field Studies Council.
Mr. D. Britton (University Lecturer in Prehistory). In addition to his teaching and administrative duties Mr. Britton was elected Chairman of the Departmental Committee for 1971-2. Mr. Britton was also elected Honorary Treasurer of the Prehistoric Society and attended the Society's Spring Conference in London on 'Peat Bog Archaeology'.
Dr. A.J. Butt Colson (University Lecturer in Ethnology). In addition to academic and departmental administrative duties, Dr. Colson was Diploma Secretary for Ethnology, Senior Treasurer of the Oxford University Exploration Club, member of the Expeditions Committee of the Royal Geographical Society, and President of the Oxford University Anthropological Society. She carried out combined field research in Peru with Dr. Neil Stevenson in the Comunidad Rural de Santiago de Chocorvos on the subject of 'concepts of disease and medical practices of Peruvian peasants'.
The Curator served on the Council of the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the Advisory Committee of the Horniman Museum, and the Council of the Historical Metallurgy Group, and was elected to the Council of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
Mr. D.B. Tayler (Assistant Curator). In addition to his duties as Assistant Curator, Mr. Tayler has edited a book on Colombian Indian music to be published, with recordings, at the end of the year. He has also been working on the analysis of the results of his fieldwork on the religion of the Ika in Northern Colombia.
Mr. R.R. Inskeep (Assistant Curator). In addition to his curatorial duties, Mr. Inskeep delivered a public lecture on 'Bantu Origins', and convened at the Museum a one day inaugural meeting of African Archaeologists resident in the United Kingdom.
Dr. D.A. Roe (University Lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology). In addition to teaching and academic administrative work for the department, Dr. Roe was Secretary of the Council for British Archaeology's Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Research Committee and Executive Editor of World Archaeology. Dr. Roe was also a member of the Council for British Archaeology's advisory panel on grants for publication and a member of Council of the Prehistoric Society. His research in African Prehistory included metrical analysis of Lower Palaeolithic sites, conducted in Zambia and in California. He conducted similar researches on Olduvai Gorge artifacts in Tanzania and at Oxford. The latter work was supported by a grant from the Boise Fund.
Dr. Schuyler Jones (University Lecturer in Ethnology and Assistant Curator). In addition to his teaching, curatorial and administrative duties, Dr. Schuyler Jones prepared the special exhibition 'Nuristan-Land of Light', based on ten years' field research in Afghanistan, combining a very complete photographic record with representative material culture and tape recorded music.
Mrs. Elizabeth Sandford Cunn (Honorary Assistant Curator) worked with Miss Blackwood in cataloguing and contributed greatly to the success of the research service provided by the Museum to outside scholars.
Mr. J.G. Rhodes (Museum Assistant). In addition to his routine work on documentation and maintenance of exhibits, Mr. Rhodes collaborated closely with Dr. Schuyler Jones and the Museum's photographer in the design of the exhibition 'Nuristan-Land of Light', a fitting chef d'euvre on which to retire from the Museum's service and proceed on promotion as Keeper of Antiquities to the Oxford City and County Museum at Woodstock.
Dr. J.B. Campbell, a student in this department, continued field work at Cardington, Beds., as Assistant Director early in the year, completed his laboratory studies in the Museum's palynological laboratory, and directed the Stoke Newington excavations in addition to completing his D.Phil. studies. He has continued throughout the year to give invaluable help to the curatorial staff in the analysis of the archaeological collections in the Museum.
Higher Degrees
J. Clammer, D.Phil.: 'Literacy and social change in Fiji since 1835'.
Mrs. M. Cardale de Schrimpff, D.Phil.: 'Techniques of handweaving and allied arts in Colombia'.
John B. Campbell, D.Phil.: 'The Upper Palaeolithic of Britain, a study of British Upper Palaeolithic cultural material and its relation to environmental and chronological evidence'.
Appointments
J. Clammer (Linacre): University Lecturership in Sociology at the University of Hull.
K. Velankar (Lady Margaret Hall): Lecturership in Compararative Linguistics, Bombay University.
Publications
Blackwood, Beatrice. 'Museum News.' Folklore, Vol. 82 Winter 1971.
Blackwood, Beatrice. Review of Island at the Centre of the World. New Light on Easter Island, by Father Sebastian Englert. Translated and edited by William Mulloy. London, 1970, Times Lit. Suppl.
Blackwood, Beatrice. Review of The Fuller Collection of Pacific Artifacts, by Roland W. Force, and Maryanne Force. London, 1971, Times Lit. Suppl.
Blackwood, Beatrice. Review of Migrations, Myth and Magic from the Gilbert Islands. Early writings of Sir Arthur Grimble, arranged and illustrated by Rosemary Grimble. London, 1972, Times Lit. Suppl.
Campbell, John B., and C. Garth Sampson. 'A new analysis of Kent's Cavern, Devonshire.' Published as University of Oregon Anthropological Paper No. 3, 1971.
Colson, Audrey J. 'Hallelujah among the Patamona Indians.' Antropologica, No. 28, 1971. Instituto Caribe de Antropologia y Sociologia, Fundacion La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Caracas.
Fagg, B.E.B. 'Archaeology in Nigeria.' The Times Special Report on Nigeria, 1 October 1971, p. vii.
Fagg, B.E.B. 'Rop Rock Shelter Excavations 1944.' West African Journal of Archaeology, vol. 2, January 1972, pp. 1-12.
Fagg, B.E.B. Review of Shaw, Thurstan, Igbo-Ukwu. 2 vols., Faber and Faber, 1970. Museums Journal, 71, No. 3, p. 132.
Fagg, B.E.B. Review of Shaw, Thurstan, Igbo-Ukwu. 2 vols., Faber & Faber, 1970. Antiquity, March 1972.
Inskeep, R.R. (Ed.) The Interpretation of Archaeological Evidence. Goodwin Series, No. 1. South African Archaelogical Society, Claremont, Cape, 1972.
Jones, Schuyler. 'Zur Vorislamischen Religion des Waigaltales', (in) Schroder, Dr. C.(editor): Religionen der Menscheit. Bremen, 1972.
Roe, D.A. Review of Leakey, M. D., Olduvai Gorge, vol. 3: Excavations in Beds I and II, 1960-63. Nature, 236, 5345, 276-7.
Accessions
Among collections purchased with the help of matching grants from the Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grants Fund,were a very fully documented collection made by Mrs. J. Barbour of Yoruba adire cloths, and a comprehensive and carefully selected collection of the material culture of the Nyamwezi of Tanzania made by Mr. J. Collinson. Other purchases included Sepik masks and shields from Mr. R. Bowden; a collection of peasant craftwork from Yugoslavia, from Mr. J.A. Burton; a collection from the Barama River Caribs, made by the Cambridge Expedition to Guyana in 1971; two drums and a chair from Dir State, from Mrs. M. Durand; and textiles, wooden figurines, and other examples of craftwork from Guatemala, from Miss C. Vulliamy.
Bequests and Donations: The following are most gratefully acknowledged: In accordance with the wishes of the late Miss Denise Gross, her collection of original rubbings of rock engravings from South Africa, with her photographic and documentary coverage. A collection of traditional Nigerian craftwork, from the executors of the late Mr. E.H. Duckworth. The Rev. A.J. Arkell: his entire collection of beads and other jewellery, mainly collected in Omdurman and meticulously documented, also some agricultural implements, weapons and a suit of chain mail from the Sudan. Mr. D.F.W. Baden Powell: a seal made from a shell, and a Melanesian adze blade. Mrs. E. Ettlinger: a photographic archive of amulets, and architectural details from church buildings. Mrs. M.M. Hutton: a collection of bronze objects from Assam and India. Major R. Jackson: two copper knives from Zaire. Mrs. R.J. Kadera: a Zulu carved wooden head rest. Mr. T.E. Love: stylus equipment and palmyra books from India. Dr. K.P. Oakley: Japanese siltstone bowl. and a cast from Nepal. Mrs. C. Pellet: lidded basket from Uganda. Mr. T.K Penniman: photographs from Mesopotamia. Mrs. H.H. Roberts: Swiss musical box in bronze with singing bird, and specimen of Hawaiian barkcloth. Mrs. Rogers: a collection of West African basketry and leather work from the Tuareg and Fulani Mr. R. Russo: a necklace from Ethiopia. Mr. H.J. Spinks: large wooden spinning top from India. Mrs. V.M. Wilkinson: a collection of Chinese clothing. Mrs. W. Wilkinson: sets of Russian, Polish and English hand puppets. Mr. A. Wright: three straw thatch finials from Somerset.
B.E. FAGG
