mail, e-post, brev, For the south american ethnographic collection curator

Dear colleague,

I'm currently working on a study of the Carib (Kali'na) collections from French Guiana and Suriname in the Musée du qui Branly, and I consulted your collections for comparison.
A few years ago I studied Kali'na pottery (see: https://journals.openedition.org/jsa/3853, and attached document) and I think I can give you some information: a few surinamese ceramic items in your collection are undoubtedly of Kali'na (Carib) origin, from either side of the Maroni river.
Here are the objects concerned, according to your database:
1892.01.0002.A, 1892.01.0079, 1892.01.0030, 1892.01.0084, 1892.01.0076.A, 1892.01.0080, 1892.01.0081, 1892.01.0082
1892.01.0001, 1892.01.0083, 1892.01.0002
1892.01.0029 and 1892.01.0030 (both undoubtedly Kali'na, not Arawak !),
1892.01.0077 (a somewhat atypical shape)

The pots in the 1952.45 collection are much probably also Kali'na, but of much poorer quality...

I saw that Axel Klinckowström travelled in the Cottica region, and that his map shows the Kali'na village known in the 1900's as Kalbo (closest to the Maroni on the map), where he may have bought these potteries - which were however also taken to Paramaribo by the amerindians to be sold to travellers.

I remain at your disposal for any further information you may require, perhaps concerning other items that could be of Kali'na origin...

Best regards
gc
--
Gerard COLLOMB
LAP-LAIOS (CNRS/EHESS)
54, Boulevard RASPAIL
75006 - PARIS
+ 33 (0)6 64 66 99 32
collomb-paris.fr
http://www.iiac.cnrs.fr/laios/