Germany hands back centuries-old masks to Colombia

[Judi Lynn]

By
Deutsche Welle
| Posted by Krishna Priya Pallavi, Delhi
Jun 17, 2023 10:10 AM IST

A German museum has returned to Colombia two sun masks belonging to the Indigenous Kogi people. The wooden artefacts date back to the 15th century.



The items were only ever supposed to be handled by priests of the Kogi people. (Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance)

The Ethnological Museum of Berlin on Friday handed back to Colombia two priceless masks, thought to be from the mid-15th century, that were used in Indigenous rituals. The wooden objects are highly revered by the country's Kogi mountain people, and their return is the latest in a string of cultural restitutions by Germany and other European nations. (Also Read | Ukraine: Cultural heritage sites damaged after dam burst)

Ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss, who was the curator of the forerunner of today's museum, bought the masks in 1915 on an extended trip to Colombia.

They were among some 700 objects that he gathered on the journey.

Scholars have estimated that the masks — referred to as "Sun Mask" (Mama Uakai) and "Great Sun Mask" (Mama Nuikukui Uaka) — are about six centuries old.

More:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/art-culture/germany-hands-back-centuries-old-masks-to-colombia-101686976353117.html