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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 17h

This is the second of a series of blog posts by the curatorial collective behind the exhibition:
indigen.eu/blog/conversations-fault-lines-lui-chivizhe 2/2

Conversations Fault Lines Lui-Chivizhe - IndiGen - LMU Munich

This blog offers glimpses into our research on "Indigeneities in the 21st century". We hope you enjoy reading our posts!

www.indigen.eu

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 17h

Discover how volcanic landscapes and the near total absence of Torres Strait Islander women from the historical records of the 19th century impacted Leah-Lui Chivizhe's choice of objects in Fault Lines. 1/2

A large, framed image of Torres Strait Islands foliage in an exhibition gallery which surrounded by smaller photos of women from the Mer, Dauar, and Waier islands. To the left is a display case containing two stone sculptures, a disc, wooden plaque, and a small box.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 1d

Places are limited, so booking is essential. Get your tickets now:
eventbrite.com/e/tau-o-mai-in-conversation-with-miriama-bono-and-tahe-drollet-tickets-1775762877569

Tau o Mai – In conversation with Miriama Bono and Tahe Drollet

Join curator and artist Miriama Bono in conversation with artist Tahe Drollet, both visiting Cambridge from Tahiti.

www.eventbrite.com

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 1d

Join us in the McDonald Seminar Room on 14 October 2025, 1-2pm, as curator and artist Miriama Bono and artist Tahe Drollet discuss their work, which is featuring in the Tau o Mai | Journeys with Mai exhibition opening at the Fitzwilliam Museum this month.

📸 Image credit: Salvador Brown.

Two contemporary artists. One holds a nose flute to her nose, compressing a nostril with one finger, the other holds a small stool under one arm and has a dog at his feet.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 1d

For more details, including how to book your place, visit our website: maa.cam.ac.uk/maa-access-and-engagement-power-hour

MAA Access and Engagement Power Hour | Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

EVENT 8 October 2025, 2:00pm - 3:00pm Online Free, booking required About the event Join Dr Sarah-Jane Harknett, Head of Public Engagement and Learning, and Dr Ayesha Fuentes, an Affiliated Researcher...

maa.cam.ac.uk

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 1d

How do we evaluate the impact of the work we do, whether it's an event or a new display? How do we deal with hazards like poisons or radiation in the collections we care for?
Join us tomorrow (8 Oct) for our Access and Engagement Power Hour to discover the answers!

🗓️ 08/10/2025, 2pm
🎟️ Free
🌐 Online

Images of a thermal map showing time spent by visitors at displays in a museum gallery, a UV light being shone on a radioactive glass bead, two visitors engaging with an interactive display, and a conservator shining a light on a leather object.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 2d

Video description: Researchers, assisted by members of the museum's staff, photograph shadow puppets made from animal hide against a plain background before holding them up behind a backlit screen to cast their shadows.

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 2d

Research visits can be rewarding of researchers, but also for us. They enrich our knowledge of the collections we care for and help us look at them in new ways. It was a very exciting moment when the first shadow puppet appeared on a screen during a recent visit to the Centre for Material Culture!

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 5d

📸 View of the Andrews Gallery and Maudslay Hall, 2025.

A museum gallery with a balustrade around the space in the centre which looks down into the gallery on the floor below. The lower gallery has some of the original display cases and an intricately carved wooden post inlaid with pieces of mother-of-pearl rises from the lower floor. A large canoe hangs along one wall and the upper gallery's walls are decorated with a mural featuring graffiti elements.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 5d

📸 P.140271.MUS View of the Andrews Gallery and Maudslay Hall, c.1975. Photographer: ?Gwil Owen.
🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/photographs/...

A museum gallery with a balustrade around the space in the centre which looks down into the gallery on the floor below. The galleries contain Edwardian style display cases and shields hang along one wall above which is a large canoe. Freestanding objects include a statue of a seated Buddha, a large carved wooden bear, and plaster casts of Maya stela.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 5d

As the museum is closed today (Friday 3 October 2025) for staff training we thought we'd take a look back at how our galleries used to look in the 1970s!

There are a lot of differences between when this phot was made and how the space appears today, but what similarities can you spot?

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 6d

Don't forget that due to staff training the museum will be closed tomorrow (Friday 3 October 2025). We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Head over to our website now to plan your visit: maa.cam.ac.uk/visit
#MuseumClosure

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 6d

Take a journey across the oceans and join us for an evening shaped by contemporary Pacific artists.

🗓️ 17/10/2025, 7-9pm
📍Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
🎟️ Free, booking essential

Visit our website to find out more:
maa.cam.ac.uk/voices-acros...

📸 Image credit: Salvador Brown.

Six contemporary artists, some of whom are dressed in Indigenous costumes, holding a variety of objects. These include musical instruments and tools.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 6d

The face of the goddess is noticeably worn when compared to the rest of the figurine, perhaps due to repeated touching by her devotees. What do you think? 2/2

📸 1930.1400 B Figure of Durga, India. Collector and donor: Frederick Lechmere-Oertel.
🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/5590...

Detail of the face of a female figurine, the features of which have been worn smooth. She has four arms and wears a headdress and jewellery.

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 6d

Today marks the final day of Durga Puja, a festival honouring the goddess Durga and her victory over evil in the form of the demon Mahishasura. 1/2

The female figure standing on the backs of two animals, one of which is a bull. She has four arms, two of which hold a spear. The spear is piercing the body of a demon who is shown emerging from the body of the bull.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 7d

📸 Z 33229 Langsuir figure, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. Collector and donor: Walter Skeat.
🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/482724/

Detail of the face and torso of a carved wooden figure of a woman. Her eyes are wide and bulging and her long hair hangs down her back. One hand can be seen and the fingernails are exceptionally long.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 7d

Within the collections cared for at MAA is a wooden figure of the langsuir - a Malay vampire. In our latest blog post University of Cambridge MPhil students Ashley Chin and Ryan Ko trace its ties to folklore and colonial collecting practices: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/09...

A carved wooden figure of a woman wearing a dress. She has two long sections of hair hanging down her back, bare feet, and long fingernails.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 9d

Video description: Members of the museum staff and researchers remove shadow puppets made from animal hide from the layers of tissue paper within the box they are stored in.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 9d

What's in the box?

We were delighted to welcome researchers Patricia Hardwick and Jocelyn Ng from Sunway University to the Centre for Material Culture to explore and photograph a remarkable collection of shadow puppets!

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 12d

Don't forget that due to staff training the museum will be closed next week on Friday 3 October 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Head over to our website now to plan your visit: maa.cam.ac.uk/visit
#MuseumClosure

A museum gallery with a graffiti mural on its walls relating to the objects on display. A totem pole rises from the floor below and sunlight streams through the glass roof.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 14d

📸 Researching costumes at MAA. Image credit: Dr Debanjali Biswas.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 14d

Visit the Digital Lab now to read the full post and find out more: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/09... 2/2

📸 P.100398 Manipuri women in a dance performance, Kolkata, India. Photographer: Unknown, 1921.
🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/photographs/393668/

Manipuri women in dance costumes performing on a lawn in front of an open pavilion.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 14d

In our latest blog post Dr Debanjali Biswas traces how collections cared for at MAA can illuminate Manipuri dance heritage, and reveal how performance, material culture, and colonial encounters have shaped the histories of Meitei identity and ritual practice. 1/2

A researcher examines a velvet and cotton jacket from a dance costume whilst a silk skirt decorated with mirrors and sequins also lies on the work bench.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 15d

This plate depicting the BSL alphabet dates from a time when sign language wasn't taught in schools and shows the importance of the Deaf community being able to express themselves.
#InternationalSignLanguageDay

📸 MN0221.16 Plate, Cambridge, c1913-25
🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/575227

Fragments of a plate with moulded alphabet on the rim and the manual British Sign Language alphabet round the centre. In the centre of the plate is a scene featuring five dolls seated in a circle with an open book between them.

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Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology @maacambridge.bsky.social · 15d

📸 Kunāne Wooton’s ʻAuamo no ka ʻUlu'. Image credit: Noelle Kahanu.