Benin Bronze is set to return to its African roots
MUSEUM TO HAND BACK STAVE SEIZED DURING 1897 EXPEDITION
NEWCASTLE’S Hancock Museum is to return a bronze stave “violently taken” by the British military in the 19th century from what is now Nigeria.
The Benin Bronze stave, held in the museum’s ethnogrpahy collection, was taken from the West African kingdom of Benin as part of Britain’s Punitive Expedition of 1897.
The item was seized alongside thousands of other metal sculptures and ivory carvings, many of which were sold to museums or into private collections.
Given its forceful removal, Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums advised museum stakeholders Newcastle University and the Natural History Society of Northumbria - to consider a proactive repatriation of the object to Nigeria.
It has been unanimously agreed the museum should seek a “proactive repatriation” of the ceremonial item and it has “started the process of trying to make this happen.”
The artefact has a bird sculpture at the top, likely to be a type of musical instrument tstruck with a metal rod during ceremonies.
Keith Merrin, Director of TWAM, said: “We have been researching the unclear history of the brass stave in the Great North Museum: Hancock and now know for certain it was taken violently during the Punitive Expedition of 1897.
“It is right to return the stave to Nigeria. Repatriation can be a powerful cultural, spiritual and symbolic act which recognises the wrongs of the past and restores some sense of justice.”
Professor Vee Pollock, Dean of Culture and the Creative Arts at Newcastle University, said: “We have no hesitation in returning the ceremonial stave, one of the so-called Benin Bronzes.
“As well as an important cultural artefact for the people of Benin, this brass stave is also a symbol of historic injustice and extreme violence.
“A museum, through what it displays, how it relates to its audiences and what it does, should be a place of learning and we hope through this process we can work with partners in Nigeria and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments to facilitate better understanding and enhanced cooperation.”
The decision was taken following specialist advice from Aberdeen University, which itself returned a Benin Bronze sculpture in October.
In March 2021, bosses at the Great North Museum: Hancock revealed plans to ‘decolonise’ exhibits there.
A statement said: : “The history of the collections at the Great North Museum: Hancock spans more than 250 years.
“This means a number of our objects are inextricably linked with Britain’s colonial past and systemic racism. We acknowledge this and are working towards using these collections in an equitable and just way.”