Abstract

The Manhyia Palace Museum in Kumasi, Ghana is popular for its outstanding exhibition of authentic cultural artefacts. However, these artefacts have always been associated with the beliefs, spirituality and philosophy of the Ashanti people and they are numinous or sacred objects venerated by both the museum's staff and its visitors. This article explores the phenomenon of numinosity surrounding selected objects in the collections and the impact this has on their preservation. It uses qualitative tools to explore case studies, including their detailed study, and interviews with people knowledgeable about their use and sacred status. A major finding the authors report is that numinous artefacts in the museum were not created as aesthetic objects but primarily for religious and utilitarian purposes that correlate with the devotion of the people involved. Their numinosity was also found to contribute to their preservation by protecting them from handling and use by visitors and museum personnel. The article is offered as a contribution to the literature both to stimulate similar research and widen the interests of those involved in the care of cultural heritage by situating such artefacts in cultural traditions that are arguably left largely outside the field of museology and yet are still to be fully explored in most parts of Africa.

摘要

加纳库马西的 Manhyia Palace Museum 因其出色的地道文化文物展览而广受欢迎。然而，这些文物一直与阿散蒂人的信仰、精神和哲学联系在一起，它们是博物馆工作人员和参观者都崇敬的神圣或神圣的物品。本文探讨了收藏中选定对象周围的神秘现象及其对其保存的影响。它使用定性工具来探索案例研究，包括他们的详细研究，并采访了解其用途和神圣地位的人。作者报告的一个主要发现是，博物馆中的神器不是作为审美对象而创造的，而是主要用于与相关人员的奉献相关的宗教和功利目的。还发现它们的神秘性有助于保护它们免受游客和博物馆工作人员的处理和使用，从而有助于它们的保存。这篇文章是对文献的贡献，既可以激发类似的研究，也可以通过将此类文物置于文化传统中，从而激发类似的研究并扩大那些参与文化遗产保护的人的兴趣，这些文化传统可以说是在很大程度上留在了博物馆学领域之外，但仍然存在在非洲大部分地区得到充分探索。还发现它们的神秘性有助于保护它们免受游客和博物馆工作人员的处理和使用，从而有助于它们的保存。这篇文章是对文献的贡献，既可以激发类似的研究，也可以通过将此类文物置于文化传统中，从而激发类似的研究并扩大那些参与文化遗产保护的人的兴趣，这些文化传统可以说是在很大程度上留在了博物馆学领域之外，但仍然存在在非洲大部分地区得到充分探索。还发现它们的神秘性有助于保护它们免受游客和博物馆工作人员的处理和使用，从而有助于它们的保存。这篇文章是对文献的贡献，既可以激发类似的研究，也可以通过将此类文物置于文化传统中，从而激发类似的研究并扩大那些参与文化遗产保护的人的兴趣，这些文化传统可以说是在很大程度上留在了博物馆学领域之外，但仍然存在在非洲大部分地区得到充分探索。