String instruments, identified as fiddles, are included within the museum holdings of Benin objects. With only three having been identified, they are unusual, and are not among the instruments commonly associated with music-making in Benin, such as the bow lute, drums, bells and lamellophones. The examples identified here are made from wood, hollowed gourds, skins and horse hairs for the strings. A single bow used to play a fiddle is also included here.

Fiddle and Bow

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The British Museum’s archives are held in various locations across the institution. The items listed here aim to give an overview of the main locations where relevant archival and photographic material relating to objects from the Kingdom of Benin is housed. Key areas relevant for cultural objects from the Kingdom of Benin are: Corporate Archives; Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas archives; Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory archives; and the Anthropology Library and Research Centre.

Website

Department of Africa, Oceania and the Americas 

Online Catalogue

Library & Archive

British Museum

Internal Data (eng)

British Museum link

Barclay (born Cockin), Celia Alice Mary

Collector

Donor

Cockin, Maurice Stanley & Mrs. 

Colonial administrator

Collected in the field

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 more about the background of this statement here.

juju 

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dwarf

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aboriginal

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tribe

This word was redacted from the catalogue as a derogatory racialised word.

DB_redacted_word

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non-western

western-art

western museum

tribal

hofzwerg

For more information on this term and its violent and inherently harmful context to indigenous communities, see 

British Colonial Military Campaign on Benin, February 1897

expedition

exotic

negro

Suggestion: Replace with the word Africa.

Black Africa

Warning: This word is used in a historic context of a title for a book, exhibition, institution name or book description etc. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities.

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primitive

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medicine man

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