Tony Eccles:
Wen a visitor walk inna di World Cultures gallery, dem get a sense a di wider world an di local connection to dat deh world. An weh dem see a one very small percentage a di full collection. Inna di collection, wi have bout 13,000 objects an deh deh bout 5 to 7 per cent a dat pan display at any given time.
Mi a Tony Eccles. Mi a di curator a ethnography at di Royal Albert Memorial Museum. Wi have dis wonderful treasure trove fram lots a different people weh did work inna di British Empire as missionaries, traders, colonial officers, soldiers, adventurers.
An dem come back to Devon an, chruu time, dem jus donate dem personal collections to wi. Weh so wonderful bout dat is dat it highlight di Exeter, Devon, collection to di wider world, an dat is very important.
Deh deh a likkle group a artifacts weh wi have weh come fram di state a Victoria inna Australia, an dem did donate inna 1868 by a chap weh have family inna Devon. An wi neva know notn bout dis individual til a fren a mi fram di British Museum did a do some work pan di collections yah, an wi did a talk bout di names a some a di donors dem. An WR Hayman come up. An shi aks: ‘Tel mi da niem de agen. Oh mi goodness, wi have a likkle discovery yah.'
Mi tink weh wi have yah a one collection weh did lost. Hayman was di manager a di very first Aboriginal cricket team inna England. Inna 1868, dem come ova fram Australia. A did a way fi Hayman as a business opportunity fi mek money.
An once dem don di cricket game, dem woulda do a demonstration a Aboriginal skills, like spear throwing an boomerang throwing. Dem did play almost every day. Dem neva get pay, even though dem did suppose fi get, an one a dem did dead during di tour an di rest a di players dem neva get tell bout it.
Dis a one spear thrower. Dis was used by one a di Aboriginal cricketers fi demonstrate spear throwing. So yuh have yuh spear, yah, woulda be hold in place wid a peg. An yuh woulda run an den yuh woulda snap it. A one successful hunting device.
An so wi loan dis collection to Lord's fi a special exhibition fi commemorate dis event, an di Aboriginal Australian cricket team come ova, an dem hold di artefacts dem weh dem ancestors did mek. So it's quite a touching, important moment fi everybody involve inna dat deh process – more so fi di visiting players.
Dis a one coat weh EB Penney did donate inna 1868. It provenance is given as Mexico, but fram initial research don show seh it likely fi be a product a Spanish trade fram Mexico to Asia. Now, dis coat is really interesting cause it's deerskin pretending to be cowhide.
Yuh have representation a rich people yah, but also servants, church as well. So wi know seh dis a one time a di insertion a Catholicism inna Mexico. So it indicative a dat deh time.
An wi a chrai fain out a uu EB Penney bi. Wi nuo se im a did wan chrieda, bot wi no nuo no muor. Certainly, wi no know notn bout di acquisition a dis piece but, wen wi do, wi ago display it wid dat deh story. It jus require a lot more scholarship.
So, wen a visitor come inna di gallery, mi woulda like dem fi tink seh not everyting did steal. Deh deh a lot a tings weh dem did buy or gift or find. An mi nuh mean unethical acquisition. Deh have tings weh gifted an mek fi visitors an frens an people weh travel worldwide.
Weh wi a try taak bout honestly inna di gallery a fi open out dem real histories a di objects, looking at different perspectives, trying fi be as inclusive as possible, so it's not jus a one-sided, unfair narrative weh may did exist last century. Wi engage wid dem deh communities an dem voices need fi have a stronger presence.
An, yuh know, wi waan show wi donators inna one honest light fi who dem really was, so wi mek items inna di gallery available fi communities pan religious days. So wi have a very strong connection wid wi local Hindu organization an di community inna Exeter. An wi waan be relevant to all a wi ada communities dem as well, both yah inna di UK an inna Exeter an abroad.
