Things used to play and communicate
Communicate
Gallery Guide
Things used to play and communicate People do not live in isolation‌we are social beings and we communicate in many different ways with each other. The objects here relate to play, music, theatre, storytelling, dance and writing. These are things that people have banged, tooted, blown and plucked, written, read and played with. They have been listened to, danced to, pondered over, cried over and giggled at.
Zone
Communicate
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Can you help discover more about these objects’ stories?
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The objects marked with this symbol are unidentified or need further research. Take a look at the folder in the bookcase by the seating area. It has images and information about these objects. We welcome your ideas, input or expertise.
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Wooden side-blown horn
Display
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Horns have been made from gourds, wood, horn and ivory. More recently plastic has been used for South African vuvuzela, used to summon people to meetings and blown at football matches where they fill the stadium with sound. West Africa, unprovenanced
19th or early 20th century
Top Ivory side-blown horn
Bronze gong
The museum record from 1947 says this is an ‘old ivory war horn’. Side-blown horns made of wood, animal horn or tusk, were used in various parts of Africa to warn of danger or call people to assemble together.
This gong was made using the lost wax technique and would have been played by beating the base with a stick. Gongs like this had various uses including musical accompaniment, to convey messages and as a form of currency.
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
18th or 19th century
Igbo or Igala people, Nigeria, Africa
Ivory side-blown horn
Brass bell
If used for ceremonial occasions, such as the arrival of a chief, side-blown horns were decorated with beautiful carvings such as these ring and dot motifs. They were also made for sale to wealthy Europeans.
The type of bell would be placed on a family ancestral altar and rung to gain the attention of ancestral spirits and mark the start of a ceremony. These bells are associated with the god Olukun, ruler of water, riches and physical health. The shape resembles the roof turrets of the original Benin Royal Palace. This example is likely to be a modern, tourist item.
Lega people, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
18th or 19th century
Benin City, Nigeria, Africa
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19th – early 20th century
19th – early 20th century
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Drawer 1
Piccolo Wooden whistle This would have been worn on a cord around the neck and played using the three finger holes to produce different notes. It was made by hollowing it out through the three finger holes. Gran Chaco, Paraguay, South America
Europe, unprovenanced
18th-19th century
Late 19thearly 20th century
Trance diviner’s gong striker
Wooden whistle flute
This striker or mallet would have been used by a diviner to strike a bell-shaped iron gong. The rhythmic ringing sound would trigger a trance during which the diviner would become possessed by nature spirits. The intricately carved gong striker was part of the visual appeal of the ceremony which included costume, dance and music.
These whistles are used during ceremonies and mask dances. They are played singly or in groups and to accompany other instruments. They are also used in battle and by groups of hunters to communicate with each other. Hunting whistles were often shaped like stylised arrows, like our example.
Baule people, Ivory Coast, Africa
19th – early 20th century
Lobi people (probably), Ghana, Africa
Late 19th- early 20th century
Iron gong
Bamboo mouth harp
This would have been used in religious rites to call on spirits and ancestors. Messengers would also walk through the village playing particular rhythms to gather people together for announcements.
Played by boys and young men for personal entertainment, as a substitute method for speech, or to disguise private conversations. The pointed end is held in the player’s mouth and the string is pulled to make a vibrating sound. It can sound as if the player is singing through a voice modulator with the pitch controlled by the player’s mouth, tongue and jaw.
Ghana, Africa
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Piccolos are half-sized flutes used in Europe since at least the early 1700s. They can be made from wood (like this one), ivory, metals, glass, and more recently, plastic. They are played in marching bands and orchestras.
Late 19th – early 20th century
Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
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Guacharaca, percussion instrument
Dancer’s armlet and anklet rattles
This wooden tube is played by scraping the wire fork along the ridges to make a scratching sound. Made from the trunk of a small palm tree, part of the interior is hollowed out so that it resembles a tiny canoe. Originally invented by native South American Tairona people to mimic the sound of the chachalaca bird (Ortalis ruficauda), nowadays it is often played by vallenato and cumbia musicians.
Worn by dancers as part of a range of accessories during the Sanni Yakuma exorcism ritual, for healing sick people and ridding them of various demons who cause illness. The ritual takes place outside the patient’s house and lasts from sunset to sunrise. They contain metal shot which makes a rattling sound when they are shaken.
Cartagena, Colombia, South America
c.1970-1980 CE
Sinhalese people, Sri Lanka, Asia
Late 19th – mid 20th century
Mbira, thumb piano
Castanets
Thumb pianos, often referred to by the Shona name mbira, are played throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean.
Castanets are a European and North African percussion instrument which produces clicking or rattling sounds. They are often particularly associated with Spanish or Portuguese music.
“I know this from my home country of Burundi. It is very familiar, my grandfather had one, it is simple and effective “. English learner at DerbyMulticultural centre Yalemba Baptist Mission, Basoko Territory, Tshopo District, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
UK, Europe
Mid 20th century
Mid 20th century
Mbira, thumb piano The mbira is held in the hands and played by plucking the metal keys with the thumbs. Mbira are used in ceremonies such as weddings, to honour significant people and in religious ceremonies to call on the spirits for advice. There are many different types of mbira or ‘thumb piano’ and they are often also used today in contemporary music. Mozambique or Zimbabwe, Africa
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Late 19th - early 20th century
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Drawer 2
Valiha Ngoni Made from a sardine tin, animal skin and animal gut. The ngoni is thought to be the precursor of the banjo. It originated in West Africa at least 800 years ago. It is believed to have been developed into the banjo in North America after Mende people were taken there as slaves, bringing the skills to make the instrument with them. Ghana, Africa
Madagascar, Africa
19th – early 20th century
Rebab with bow
Ngoni
This violin-like instrument is played in many parts of the world including North Africa, Middle East, Europe and Asia. It originated in the Middle East in about 1,300 years ago and spread via Islamic trading routes. The rebab is valued for its voice-like tone but has limited range, with only one to three strings, and was gradually replaced by the violin and other stringed instruments in the Arab world. It is still regularly used in Arabic Bedouin music.
The ngoni can produce fast, complex melodies and is played at celebrations and special occasions. This ngoni is made in the traditional way from wood, leather, animal hair and hide.
Egypt, Africa
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Early 20th century
The valiha is the national instrument of Madagascar, made from local species of bamboo. The strings on this example are made from filaments prised from the body of the bamboo tube. Nowadays unwound bicycle brake wires are often used for the strings. The valiha is played in recreational music, and also used in tromba ceremonies where participants are possessed by ancestral spirits. Today the valiha is played by a number of musicians who have become celebrated cultural icons in the country.
West Africa, unprovenanced
Late 19th – early 20th century
19th – early 20th century
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Photo : Chevy J Thompson
Drawer 3
Bullroarers Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
19th century
Bullroarers are attached to a long cord and played by whirling them around high in the air. The sounds vary depending on the angle, speed and length of cord. They have been made all over the world, in the Pacific Islands, Australia, the Americas, Africa and Europe. In New Guinea and other parts of Oceania they are regarded as sacred objects, known only to a select group of initiated men and played during male initiations and funerals. Their sound represents the voice of the spirits and it is forbidden for women to play or even hear them.
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Drum with python skin membrane
Display
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This was given to the museum by the wife of an engineer who designed and oversaw the building of the Winneba Waterworks in Ghana in 1921-3. He died from blackwater fever at Matlock, Derbyshire, in 1923.
Ghana, Africa
Early 20th century
Bell This was probably made for the tourist market, using traditional Abomey metalworking techniques. “The bird resembles a peacock, but with long legs to move fast.”
Member of Shanti Women’s group, Bhawan Temple, Derby
Abomey, Republic of Benin, Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Small wooden gongs like this are played to accompany traditional Fijian dances, traditionally performed in the open areas of villages. The gongs are held against the chest which acts as a sound resonator, and beaten with two soft wooden sticks. Larger lali up to 2 metres long were used to make communal announcements, and are still used today to call people to religious ceremonies and meetings. They are considered the main instrument of Fiji. Fiji, Pacific Ocean
Dance drum
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Lali ni meke, slit gong
This thin-walled and surprisingly light wooden drum could be hung on the player’s shoulder using the leather strap, so the drummer could dance. Kamba dancing can be highly energetic, involving acrobatic leaps and somersaults. There are many different Kamba drums used to accompany many different dances, some traditionally played by women, and some by men. This drum is decorated with metal strips at the base and perhaps resembles an elephant’s leg and foot.
Hua gu, flower drum
Kamba people, Kenya, Africa
China, Asia
Late 19th early 20th century
Late 19th - early 20th century
A double-skinned drum used with gongs and cymbals in the flower drum lantern dance of the Han people, one of China’s richest folk dances. The dance is often performed at the end of the harvest season and also at temple festivals and New Year ceremonies. It includes intricate slow and fast movements with a variety of props such as fans and umbrellas. Early 20th century
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Kundu drum This drum would have been played during social and ceremonial events involving music, dance and theatre. The head of the drum is covered in lizard skin – the legs of the lizard are pulled taut towards the handle. The lower end is carved in the shape of an open-mouthed crocodile, representing a great ancestral crocodile, and human ancestor figures are carved on the crocodile’s head. The sound of the drum represents spirit and ancestor voices. When spiritual power is transferred to newly carved drums in a special ceremony, the old drums lose their former potency.
Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Display
3 Caxixi, wicker rattle
Late 19th century
Talking drum and drumstick Talking drums were used in West Africa to sound out detailed messages between villages, and were also played by griots, or storytellers, who use the drums to help preserve oral traditions and histories.
Caxixi have seeds inside which rattle when they are shaken. Different sounds are made by altering the angle of the shake. They are made from a wicker basket with a flat base cut from a gourd. Caxixi originated in Africa, were taken to the Americas by enslaved Africans, and are now particularly popular in Brazil. Africa, unprovenanced
Late 19th – early 20th century
Drum with pottery rim Kano State, Nigeria, Africa
?
Early 20th century “You can put the drum near fire to tighten it up and make it work again” Unprovenanced
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Visitor at Derby Refugee Advice Centre 20th century
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Engalabi drum
Drum
This heavy wooden drum would have been played alongside other drums and rattles during ceremonies, dance and theatre performances. Traditionally played by men, women now play engalabi drums too. It has a rock-monitor lizard membrane. Rock-monitors are now a protected species in Uganda, having been over-hunted for their skins to be used for drums, lyres and fiddles.
The skin membrane would be tuned by tightening the twisted thongs.
Buganda region, Uganda, Africa
Unprovenanced, probably Igbo people, Nigeria, Africa
?
Late 19th – early 20th century
Late 19th - early 20th century
Talking drum and drumstick The kidskin strings running around the side of this talking drum can be squeezed between the player’s arm and body to change the pitch of the drum, mimicking the sounds of African tonal languages and allowing detailed messages to be communicated. West Africa, unprovenanced
Late 19th – early 20th century
Pegged Akan drum Drums played a vital role in Akan culture for religious ceremonies and social occasions and as a form of communication. The Akan drum is a talking drum where skilled players could replicate the tone and rhythm of the language to communicate complex messages. A pegged Akan drum in the British Museum dates from before 1735, when it was taken from West Africa to the Colony of Virginia on a slave ship. Akan people, Ghana, Africa
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Tambourine Tambourines originated in Ancient Egypt and were introduced into Europe during the 13th century by Crusader soldiers returning from church-sanctioned wars the Middle East. They are now widely used in many types of music across the world including folk, classical and pop. Europe, unprovenanced
19th – mid 20th century
Late 19th – early 20th century
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Display
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Punch and Judy show puppet heads Derby, UK, Europe
Top
Shadow puppets Turkey, Europe/Asia
19th – early 20th century
19th – early 20th century
‘Punch and Judy’ is a traditional European puppet show, which originated in the 16th century Commedia dell’arte in Italy, with Pulcinella (Punch) as king of the puppets. As a theatre of dissent, and with Punch as the common everyman hero breaking all the rules, it became very popular in Britain from the 18th century. The other puppets include Judy, the baby, a crocodile, a string of sausages, the hangman, doctor and ghosts or skeletons. Punch is the central figure struggling against God, the law, the police and the judge. He is brutal, vindictive, vain and lecherous but the crowds love him! These puppets once belonged to Mr Serman, a Punch and Judy showman for Derby’s Rolls-Royce Welfare group.
Karagöz (in red with rounded beard) and Hacivat (in red with the pointed beard) are the lead characters in a traditional Turkish shadow play that dates back over 600 years. Karagöz is the uneducated everyman hero whose quick wit gets the better of his genteel, educated friend Hacivat. The green puppet is lovelorn Kanbur Tiryaki who carries an opium pipe. Performances are staged in public or in private houses often in the month of Ramadan and can be performed by a single puppeteer playing dozens of characters. Karagöz Shadow Theatre is one of the most popular forms of traditional art in Turkey and is still regularly performed today.
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Rod puppet
Java, Indonesia, Asia
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Drawer 1
20th century
Indian Poonah figures These clay figures depict stereotypes of 19th century Indian people, of different occupations, castes and religions. Made by Indian craftspeople, these display models were bought by Europeans as souvenirs. They could be used for storytelling, teaching, and sharing experiences of India once back home. They illustrate the enthusiasm of colonial Victorians for categorising and stereotyping ‘native’ people. Pune (probably), western India, Asia
Wayang golek puppet heads
?
Wooden rod puppet heads of unidentified characters used in Javanese Wayang puppet theatre. See Display 5 for information on Javanese puppets. Java, Indonesia, Asia
19th century
Muslim man Labelled ‘Mussal’, this figure probably depicts a Muslim above-stairs servant.
19th century – early 20th century
Parsee (Zoroastrian) woman The Parsees, whose name means Persian, followed the Persian prophet Zoroaster.
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Christian man
Brahmin woman
Labelled ‘Korah’ a term associated with Christian converts in India, often as a surname.
Labelled ‘Brahmin’s wife’ this may represent a woman on her wedding day, wearing her traditional red wedding sari. Brahmins are the highest-ranking group within the Indian caste system.
Bohras labourer This is labelled ‘Bhoras coolie’ (sic). Bohras is a term associated with some Muslim groups in India. Coolie was a name given by the British in the 19th century to unskilled, low paid, forced labour in British Asian colonies. After the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 prohibited slavery, labourers filled the new gap in the workplace and were sent to work on railway construction sites and plantations. They were promised a better working life but were in fact badly treated with low wages and poor conditions. The term is considered offensive hate speech in many parts of the world today, although it is still an acceptable term in South Asia for labourers, particularly railway porters.
‘Jungle’ labourer This figure is labelled ‘Jungle Coolie’, presumably a rural labourer. Coolie is considered an offensive term today (see above).
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Models of tombs These are stone models of traditional Chinese tombs, like those found in the hillside cemeteries of Hong Kong. The more complete tomb has a spring-loaded coffin inside. Chinese writing inscribed on the door shows that the dead person was ranked first class in the palace examination, a great honour to their family and a way of preserving the reputation of the deceased in the afterlife. Hong Kong was a British colony and it is likely that this model was made for sale to Europeans.
Hong Kong, China, Asia
Late 19th – early 20th century
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Zhuàng yuán chou game pieces Bamboo game pieces from a family dice game often played on Chinese New Year’s Eve or during the mid-Autumn full moon festival. The winner would receive specially made moon-cakes. In the set there are 63 pieces each representing a rank in the ancient Chinese imperial palace exam, used to select people for government jobs and confer status. Winning the game was a sign of doing well in the real exam in the coming year and signalled prosperity.
China, Asia
19th – early 20th century
Drawer 2
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Toy animals Africa, unprovenanced
Late 19th – mid 20th century
These are probably made of goatskin and are perhaps teaching aids or toys.
Chinese dolls These dolls have painted wooden faces, arms and legs, and cloth bodies dressed in beautifully stitched and detailed clothing. The male doll has ‘Fuzhou soldier’ written on it in Chinese writing. These dolls’ clothes are thought to have been made by destitute Chinese girls and young women in a European Christian mission school in Fuzhou, which is one of the largest cities in Fujian province and was home to many missionary societies from the 1840s to 1950s.The dolls were probably made for sale to Europeans, to raise funds for the mission and heighten awareness of Chinese culture.
Fuzhou, China, Asia
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Late 19th - early 20th century
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Set of Ganjifa playing cards Ganjifa is a card game that originated in Persia (modern-day Iran) and was introduced to India by the Mughal Empire during the 16th century. Apart from winning, the main aim of the game is to teach, learn and narrate stories from ancient scriptures and religious books. Our cards are decorated with ten of the avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu, and are probably made of layers of cotton fabric stiffened with white clay and tamarind seed. The finest cards were often made of ivory India, Asia
Early – mid 19th century
Drawer 3
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Palm leaf book Sinhalese people, Sri Lanka, Asia
Probably 19th century
We believe this book is written in Sinhalese script; we do not know yet what the book is about. Palm leaf books, often written by Buddhist monks, were an important part of religious and cultural life in Sri Lanka for over 2,000 years. They covered themes of medicine, science, religion, art and history. The books often became objects of devotion and were held in monastic libraries which were visited by pilgrims for study.
Chi Chi Pai playing cards Cardboard Chi Chi Pai cards were mass-produced in the Netherlands, Belgium and France for sale to Chinese expatriate workers living in Southeast Asia. The pack with the green design on the wrapper was made by Dutch company Reiss & Co and the names of various places in Indonesia are listed on the wrapper. Made in Europe Used in Southeast Asia
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Late 19th – early 20th century
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Palm leaf book
?
We believe this book is written in a Javanese script; we do not know yet what the book is about. Dried palm leaves tied together with string, have been used as manuscripts in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia for about 2,500 years. The leaves decay after a few hundred years and so there is constant cycle of preserving, copying and rewriting the manuscripts. Java, Indonesia, Asia
Bone hornbook Made of bone or ivory, with lowercase letters and numbers on one side, and uppercase letters on the other. Hornbooks originated in England about 500 years ago and were used for children’s study. They consist of a single sheet of bone, wood, mounted vellum or paper written with the letters of the alphabet and maybe a short text such as the Lord’s Prayer. UK, Europe
Probably 19th century
18th – 19th century
Leather hornbook Made of paper laminated with a layer of transparent horn or mica, and mounted on leather. It includes the alphabet and the Lord’s Prayer. An image of Charles II (king from 1660-1685) is embossed on the back of the leather case.
Zata, Burmese horoscope
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Palm leaf horoscope inscribed with a metal stylus.The design includes astrological diagrams, zodiac signs and calculations about the position of planets at the time of birth. In Myanmar (Burma) parents have a horoscope made for their child when it is born, and would use the horoscope to consult with fortune tellers or astrologers throughout the child’s life on matters of health, wealth and happiness. Myanmar, Asia
19th century
UK, Europe
Lead hornbook Cast lead hornbook with the alphabet on one side and a crowned Tudor rose and the initials ER for Queen Elizabeth I (queen from 1558-1603) on the reverse. This could be hung by the loop from a child’s belt. Found at the Tudor House, Brassington, Derbyshire, UK, Europe
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Late 17th century
1559-1603
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Display
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Unidentified character The name klitik comes from the clicking sound these wooden puppets make.
Wayang shadow puppets
Kresna
Javanese wayang shadow puppet plays are based on two epic stories from India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, combined with Buddhist and Muslim ideas and Javanese folklore. The stories often illustrate the fight between good and evil and were written by numerous authors over many centuries. Wayang shadow puppet shows are performed in the open air for special occasions such as births and weddings, accompanied by a gamelan (traditional Indonesian orchestra) and singers. Performances can last several days and the puppets are painted in bright colours as they may be used in daytime as well as for night-time shadow performances.
Kresna, the king who watches over the Pandawa Brothers. The Pandawa brothers are the sons of Pandu from the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata.
?
The leather puppets are called wayang kulit - kulit means skin The wooden puppets are called wayang klitik – klitik after the clicking sound these wooden puppets make. Java, Indonesia, Asia
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19th century
Nawang Wulan
Kasar or Ravana
Nawang Wulan, the wife of Prince Panji, a legendary prince and cultural hero.
A kasar or evil character, a demon, ogre or clown. Kasars are bad characters who are dishonest, greedy and cruel. This may be Ravana, a wicked demon king from the Hindu epic Ramayana.
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Unidentified character
Photo : Chevy J Thompson
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Bima Bima, the second of the five Pandawa brothers. The mere touch of his long nails meant death.
Kelana Tunjung Seta Kelana Tunjung Seta is the enemy of Prince Panji. Prince Panji is the hero of the wayang gedog (mask) plays which enact events from Javanese history and mythology.
Unidentified character
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?
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Display
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Cuneiform Cuneiform writing is one of the world’s earliest forms of writing. It was first developed about 5,500 years ago by ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia (much of the modern Middle East region). Words are made up of wedge shapes pressed into soft clay using a carefully cut stylus. Cuneiform was used until about 100 BC, after which the script was forgotten and could no longer be read. It took scholars many decades, during the 19th century, to decipher cuneiform. Over the last 200 years about one million cuneiform tablets have been excavated from archaeological sites.
Child’s rattle in the shape of a wild boar Cyprus, Europe
3rd – 1st century BCE / 300 – 50 BCE
Rattles have been used for thousands of years as toys to distract or soothe babies and young children. In Ancient Cyprus the sound from rattles was also used to ward off evil spirits. Pigs were associated with Demeter, the Greek goddess of harvest and fertility, symbolising rebirth and rejuvenation, and they were offered as sacrifices at rituals intended to protect children in life and death. Pig rattles have often been discovered in children’s tombs during archaeological excavations. This little wheel-made wild boar rattle was probably found in a child’s tomb, although there is no record of where.
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Inscribed brick of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon This would have come from a building that was built for Nebuchadnezzar II. The cuneiform inscription reads ‘Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Provisioner of Esagil and Ezida, the son, the foremost of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon’. Mud bricks with stamped cuneiform inscriptions were used in many of Nebuchadnezzar’s construction projects including the ziggurat (stepped tower) at Babylon which is thought to have inspired the biblical story of the Tower of Babel.
Babylon (modern Hillah), Iraq, Asia
605 - 562 BCE
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Cuneiform apprenticeship tablet This is a contract apprenticing a boy called Nabu-bullitanni, to a carpenter called Bel-ittannu, for six years. The contract says the carpenter ‘will teach him the carpenter’s craft, his own craft, all of it, all that he himself has learned.’ As well as the usual Akkadian language cuneiform writing, this has a note along one edge in Aramaic, a language that was widely spoken in Babylonia at the time.
Kasr, Babylon (modern Hillah), Iraq, Asia
16th March 406 BCE
Inscribed cone of Gudea, ruler of Lagash This records the construction of a temple to the god Ningirsu at Lagash (modern day Tello in Southern Iraq). It would have been embedded into the walls of the temple, and functioned as a time capsule recording construction dates. The stamped cuneiform inscription reads ‘For Ningirsu, mighty hero of Enlil, Gudea, ruler of Lagash, made everything function as it should and built for him his House Fifty: the white Thunderbird, and restored it to its proper place’. A combined Iraqi and British Museum team is currently excavating the site of Lagash further. Lagash (modern Tello), Iraq, Asia
Cuneiform tablet of the Egibi family
Cuneiform land sale tablet
This is a 2,500 year old accounting record of the Egibi family of Babylon. The Egibis were newly-wealthy merchants who made their money by taking advantage of a booming economy, selling grain, dates, onions and wool to rulers and religious leaders. In the process the Egibis acquired lots of land, traded slaves and loaned silver. They left a huge archive of cuneiform tablets detailing their business dealings.
This is a contract for the sale of a field at Borsippa in about 450 BCE. The tablet was found at nearby Babylon. Around the edges are impressions of the scribe’s cylindrical seal, validating the land sale.
Babylon (modern Hillah) Iraq, Asia
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c.2100 BC
Kasr, Babylon (modern Hillah), Iraq, Asia
c.450 BCE
507 BCE
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Inscribed brick of Amar-Suen, King of Ur
Photo : David Edge
This records the construction of the temple of Enki in the city of Eridu in southern Iraq, and would have formed part of the walls of the temple. The cuneiform inscription reads ‘Amar-Suen, the one called by name by (the god) Enlil in (the city) Nippur, supporter of the temple of Enlil, mighty king, King of Ur, King of the Four Quarters (of the world), built for (the god) Enki, his beloved lord, his beloved Abzu for him’. Eridu, Iraq, Asia
2100 - 2050 BCE
Brass horn This Buddhist ceremonial horn would have been played by Buddhist monks, perhaps during processions and at morning and evening calls to prayer.
Unprovenanced, probably Tibet, Asia
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19th or 20th century
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Words offered by visitors This gallery is built on a foundation of shared experiences that were offered by thousands of people at the start of the project. The words are a mix of values, emotions and actions and they’ve shaped the way the collection is displayed and explained Here are a few that relate to this zone.
dance rhythm speech giggle singing communication gestures Skype whistling hopscotch books stories reading arguments legends being part of something body language fun speaking board games crying laughter talking play games sport humour information social media relating to others meeting
other people iphones help each other football kinship sociability poetry friendship conversation respect listening shouting computers act things out meeting others telling stories hearing stories touch facial expressions drama technology interconnection personality writing opinions books education learning imaginative play eye contact singing television
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Here are explanations of a few terms used in this guide
‘Objects of love, hope and fear’ has been coproduced with an amazing team of volunteers, visitors and partners. Our deepest thanks go to out to all of you for your generosity of time, knowledge, skill and energy.
BCE
An extra special thank you to:
Before Common Era (equivalent of BC ‘before Christ’)
Sheikh Qazi Abdul Mateen Al-Azhari
Alan Foord
Rajaa Sakhari
CE
Lisa Graves
Gaye Sculthorpe
Andy & Margaret Austen
Jeff Hallam
Lizzy Serieys
Common Era (equivalent of AD ‘anno Domini’, the year Christ was born)
Soshain Bali
Theresa Hempsall
Susan Sharif
Sheana Barby
Stephen Hill
Val Shelton
Richard Bartle
Anne Ishikawa
Christopher Simpson
Wendy Biz-Lage
Bali Jenkins
Alison Solomon
Ollie Brown
Lisa Kavanagh
Alice Southwood
James Bucklow
Zachary Kingdon
Celeste Sturgeon
Clare Calder-Marshall
Michelle Laverick
Jackie Taylor
Andrew Carrier
Steve Lockley
Jonathan Taylor
Richard Carter
Antonia Lovelace
Chevy J Thompson
Shannon Cherry
Emson Maneya
Tim Unwin
c. Abbreviation of circa, a Latin word meaning ‘around’ or ‘about’
Pacific Ocean Islands in the Pacific Ocean east of Indonesia and Australia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Lia Colombino
The area south of the Saharan desert in the continent of Africa
Katarina Massing
Karim Vahed
Melissa Coons
Adam McCready
Shelagh Wain
Elspeth Cranston
Amelia Meran
Toni Walford
Unprovenanced
Ed Darby
Zagba Oyortey
Kat & John Woodward
Lubna Din
Oral Phillips
Sarah Worden
Dubrek Studios
Naomi Pierrepoint
Barbara Woroncow
Serene Duff
Helen Powell
Kerry Edwards
David & Janette Edge
Adeena Raslee
Hope Falk
Alison Englefield
Steven Pryce
Jade Foster
Catherine Falkner
Naomi Rubinstein
Margaret Wright
The object’s place of origin is unknown
Guide co-designed with Leach Studio. Published by Derby Museums 2018.
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