Description (Physical description)
Catalogue card: Three dolls. One incised, two plain cylindrical
[different hand] a. is Fuga. b. and c. destroyed

Event Date
Author: maa

Description (Labels & Markings)
Written on base in pencil: '2704'
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Description (Labels & Markings)
Thomas/Bevan label attached with string reads: 'T.C2764 / a / DOLL.'
N.B. The Thomas number should read '2704'
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Description (Labels & Markings)
Thomas label adhered to object reads: '132 | 2704A / Doll, cylindrical, incised. / Fugar.'
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Related Documents)
Accession register reads: 'Z 12722a+b | Three dolls. One incised, two plain cylindrical'
In second hand: 'B and C destroyed.'
Event Date
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Related Documents)
See E 1910.118 and E 1913.3 records for further details about the Thomas Collection from Nigeria.
Event Date 7/5/2001
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Incised cylindrical object with small burn mark. 2 shallow cracks at one end.
Event Date 6/6/2001
Author: Katrina Dring

Context (Amendments / updates)
Record updated as part of the Museum Affordances project 2018-2020

Event Date 26/9/2018
Author: Katrina Dring

Description (Physical description)
Doll made from a cylindrical shaft of wood with incised patterns. Eyes and mouth are suggested near the top of the doll by two diamonds with an incised line in between. Below this, the body is covered with geometric patterns consisting of straight lines, triangles, diamonds and crosses. There is a burnt area on the back of the doll.
Event Date 26/9/2018
Author: Katrina Dring

Conservation (Remedial)
CON.2021.5002 | Remedial
Event Date 15/4/2021
Author: Stefanie Mueller

Context (Display)
Exhibited in [Re:]Entanglements: Colonial collections in decolonial times, MAA, 22 June 2021 – 20 April 2022.

The text noted:
'Anthropological entanglements
The anthropological surveys of Nigeria and Sierra Leone led by Northcote Thomas between 1909 and 1915 were intended to contribute to the work of colonial administration. Thomas was, however, criticised by the colonial authorities for pursuing research that had little ‘practical value’ in this respect.
As an anthropologist, Thomas had more general interests in comparing human societies and cultural practices. Take, for instance, these dolls collected by Thomas and his assistants in Nigeria.
Like string games, dolls are played with by children all over the world. But Thomas was interested in what makes a doll a doll. How are dolls distinct from other representations of the human form such as ‘magical figurines’ or ‘idols’? Can they be regarded as being alive in some way?Anthropology was certainly entangled in colonial power relations. But what does this mean when it comes to seeking to learn about cultural differences and similarities?

CAPTION
Northcote Thomas had wide-ranging anthropological interests. His research on dolls pre-dated his appointment as ‘Government Anthropologist’. This questionnaire on dolls was published in 1906 in the journal Man.

LINK
https://re-entanglements.net/dolls'

Event Date 3/5/2022
Author: Flo Sutton