Maasai visit Oxford museum to request return of sacred items

Members of the five families from whom the objects were taken say the objects are so important they could only have been taken from their ancestors by murder.

The Maasai also believe the looting cast bad luck on their community.

The delegation was led by two women, one from Tanzania and one from Kenya, to reflect the role of women as cultural custodians and the fact that women made all the artefacts in question.

READ MORE: Police officer charged over 'romantic relationship with victim'

The family delegates spent time with the objects and performed healing rituals, lighting a bonfire on the front green and sprinkling herb potions sprinkled over the museum artefacts.

Inside Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum which has about 600,000 items (Image: Oxford Mail)

The museum had no idea the collection of 188 Maasai items, mostly jewellery, was controversial until seven years ago when Samwel Nangiria, a Maasai activist, came to Oxford on a scheme for indigenous leaders.

The Pitt Rivers brought out some objects for them to see and Mr Nangiria reacted with horror.

He said: “The only way they could have been obtained was by force, by killing their owners.”

It was the start of the Maasai Living Cultures Project, a collaboration between the Pitt Rivers Museum and Maasai community leaders, which began in 2017 and is supported by the Staples Trust charity, funded by the Sainsbury family.

The Maasai paid two more visits to Oxford and last year the Museum paid a return visit to hold healing ceremonies and gave 49 cows to each of the five affected communities.

Seeing the objects on this visit, one member of the delegation said they almost fainted and another said he was rendered deaf.

READ MORE: Man arrested following fatal six-vehicle crash on M40

The objects identified as being culturally sensitive include an engononkoi narok - a necklace of blue beads worn by senior leaders in initiation ceremonies and passed from father to son; an emonyorit - an earring worn by young women after circumcision; an orkatar - hereditary bracelet passed from father to son; an isikira - a head ornament worn by newly circumcised girls; and an isurutia - an hereditary woman's arm/neck ornament which represents the sacred bond of marriage. 

In a statement on its website The Pitt Rivers Museum explains its position on restitution is that it "acknowledges that objects in the collections were acquired through violence, looting and by the exertion of western colonial power on 'subject' people.

"We aim to work collectively with partners from across the world towards redress on a case-by-case basis.

"The Museum is committed to working with stakeholders and source communities to research the provenance of the collections, consider claims for restitution, and address historic museum practices which require change for the benefit of all our visitors and global community," it states.