Abstract (eng)
With more than 40,000 specimen, the osteological collection housed at the Vienna Natural History Museum’s (NHMW) Department of Anthropology is one of the worldwide largest of its kind. Considerable parts of its inventory were acquired during the early stages of European Anthropology between 1870-1920 – following the discipline’s aim of research, which was determined in Göttingen (Germany) in 1861: the improvement of knowledge about human variation. For the most part, the worldwide collection of human remains at that time took place during colonial and explorative operations, in some extent by means of collection practices, which seem disputable from a today’s point of view. The elaboration of their sociopolitical circumstances, are currently subject of the “forMUSE”- project “Euphoric beginnings – dysphoric present: Anthropological collections in the area of conflict between science and ethic” (project director: Maria Teschler-Nicola) funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research. As part of this project, the present study combines an osteological analysis of a contemporary skull collection acquired in colonial-time Tanzania (former „German East Africa“) with the reconstruction of the collection’s acquisition backgrounds.
Within the osteological collection of the NHMW a colonial-time Tanzanian provenance could be verified for the remains of 35 individuals. These exclusively cranial remains were acquired in Tanzania between 1884 und 1913 and inventorised between 1888 und 1928. The present investigation includes a concise anthropological analysis (description and documentation of noticeable artificial, morphological, pathological and traumatic features), as well as a historical investigation, which focuses on the reconstruction of the acquisition circumstances and biographies of the collectors involved in order to shed light on the interests and concepts of the former protagonists.
Beside a low average age at death (21.2 years), the analyzed individuals show a relatively great amount of dental pathologic alterations (frequency of dental caries: 48.4%, peridontal disease in 88% oft the alveoles) as well as of indications for unspecific systemic stress resp. malnutrition (Porotic Hyperostosis: 93.6%; Vitamin C-deficiency: 88. 2%). In addition the frequency of intravitam (37.1%) and perimortem injuries (37.3%) is considerably high. Furthemore, in most cases the historical investigation confirms that the collectors were involved in colonial and explorative operations
Relating to colonial history of Tanzania, both the relatively bad health conditions and the high amount of stress markers and injuries within the collection can be regarded as consequences of colonial politics. The frequent ocurrence of perimortem trauma with lethal consequences and perimortem traces of manipulation implicate the use of intentional resp. violent measures to be associated with the cause of death and/or the collection of the skeletal remains analyzed. As soon as possible it is essential to find solutions to subsequent ethical concerns in question of whether or not it is legitimate to keep remains concerned in a similar manner within scientific collections - however various arguments from scientific and curatorial side have to be considered in this process. Therefore an interdisciplinary debate including all of the parties involved will be necessary. As this study shows, it seems reasonable at any rate to best possibly clear the backlogs of their terms of purchase in order to decide about the future handling of similar bone collections.