Possessions: Indigenous Art/Colonial Culture

Possessions examines the complex relationship between Indigenous art and colonial culture across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Nicholas Thomas investigates how Indigenous artistic traditions were collected, interpreted, and transformed through colonial encounters from the 18th century onward. The book traces the movement of Indigenous artifacts through different cultural contexts - from their original ceremonial and practical uses to their roles in museums, private collections, and the contemporary art market. Thomas draws on extensive archival research and analysis of key historical collections to document these transitions. Through case studies of specific artworks and collections, the text reveals how colonial power structures shaped the reception and understanding of Indigenous creative practices. The transformation of Indigenous objects from cultural artifacts to aesthetic commodities reflects broader patterns of appropriation and recontextualization. The work speaks to fundamental questions about cultural ownership, authenticity, and the ongoing legacy of colonial collecting practices in the modern world. Thomas presents a critical framework for understanding how art objects become embedded with different meanings as they move between cultural spaces.

This book has limited online reader reviews available, making it difficult to gauge broad reader sentiment. Readers noted the book's focus on how colonialism impacted art collection and display in Pacific regions, particularly New Zealand and Fiji. Academic reviewers appreciated Thomas's analysis of how indigenous art objects gained new meanings when moved into colonial museum settings. Some readers found fault with the dense academic writing style and wished for more visual examples to support the text's arguments. A review in The Art Bulletin critiqued Thomas's selective use of historical examples. Available Ratings: Goodreads: No ratings Amazon: No customer reviews WorldCat: 2 library reviews, both neutral in tone and focused on the book's academic merits Note: This book appears to be primarily used in academic settings rather than for general readership, which may explain the limited number of public reviews available online.

Art and Agency by Alfred Gell The analysis of art objects as social agents provides insight into how indigenous artifacts operate within colonial and post-colonial contexts.

The Traffic in Culture by George Marcus and Fred Myers The examination of cultural artifacts moving through global markets illuminates the commodification and circulation of indigenous art in museum and colonial systems.

Colonial Collections Revisited by Pieter ter Keurs The investigation of museum collections from colonial periods reveals the power dynamics and cultural translations inherent in institutional collecting practices.

Museums and Source Communities by Laura Peers and Alison Brown The exploration of relationships between museums and indigenous communities demonstrates the ongoing negotiation of cultural heritage and object ownership.

Unpacking Culture by Ruth Phillips and Christopher Steiner The study of art collecting, tourism, and cross-cultural exchange presents the complex interactions between indigenous artists and colonial market forces.

🔷 Nicholas Thomas directs the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge University and has conducted extensive fieldwork in Fiji, New Zealand, and other Pacific locations since the 1980s. 🔷 The book examines how Indigenous art objects became caught between two worlds: their original cultural context and their new role as colonial collectibles and museum pieces. 🔷 The research spans multiple colonial regions including Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, comparing how different colonial powers approached and valued Indigenous artifacts. 🔷 Many of the Indigenous art pieces discussed in the book were initially collected through unethical means, including theft and coercion, a fact Thomas addresses openly in his analysis. 🔷 The work challenges traditional museum approaches by suggesting that Indigenous artifacts should be understood as "living" cultural objects rather than static historical pieces.