Mystery items handling collection

Mystery items
handling collection
.
Mystery items handling collection
Teachers notes
Welcome to the National Museum of Scotland.
Our Mystery items handling collection contains 12 real artefacts from
our collection and we encourage everyone to enjoy looking at and
touching the artefacts to find out all about them.
These notes include:
•
Backgroundinformationonanddetailsabouteachartefact.
• Ideasforquestions,thingstothinkaboutanddiscusswithyour
group.
NMS Good handling guide
The collection is used by lots of different groups so we’d like your help to
keep the collection in good condition. Please follow these guidelines for
working with the artefacts and talk them through with your group.
1
Always wear gloves when handling the artefacts (provided)
2
Always hold artefacts over a table and hold them in two hands
3
Don’ttouchorpointatartefactswithpencils,pensorothersharp
objects
4
Check the artefacts at the start and the end of your session
5
Please report any missing or broken items using the enclosed form
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
Contents
Artefacts from the Pacific
1. War club
2. Flag
Artefacts from the Far East
3. Glass globe
4. Gaming pieces
5. Headdress
6. Hat
Artefacts from Africa
7. Drum
8. Gourd
9. Headrest
10. Stool
Artefacts from the natural world
11. Elephant skin
12. Whale baleen
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Theintricatezigzagcarving
on the top and bottom of
the club.
Touch
Feel the weight of the club
and the gnarled end. How
easy do you think it would
have been to fight with it?
Pacific Artefacts
1. War club
Think
What type of warrior would
have owned a club like this?
Would he have been big or
small,youngorold?Would
he have had to have been
strong?
•
ThiswarclubisfromtheislandofFijiintheSouthPacific.
•
Therearearound30differenttypesofFijianclubsand
each type of club has its own distinctive style of decoration
including both abstract and realistic forms and patterns.
• AFijianwarriorwouldchooseaclubthatsuitedhissizeand
the way he moved and fought. This club would be his most
treasured possession.
• Clubslikethiswereusedasweaponsandifitwasusedto
killanenemy,thekillwouldbeindicatedbycuttingnotches
onthe‘grip’-thepartatwhichtheclubisheld.Ifaclub
hadbeenusedtokillmanyenemies,thepeoplebelievedit
haditsown‘mana’,withpowerandalifeofitsown.
• Differentclubswereusedfordifferenttypesofblowand
this club would have been used for striking and smashing.
• Theclubwouldalsobeusedduringceremonialoccasions
and as a walking stick.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Can you identify all the
different parts of the coat
of arms?
Touch
Feel the bark cloth. What
words can you use to
describeit?Isitroughor
smooth,heavyorlight?Isit
more like fabric or paper?
2. Flag
•
ThisisaflagshowingthecoatofarmsofTonga.
• Thisflaghasbeenpaintedontoclothmadefromtheinner
layer of tree bark.
Think
Ifyouhadtourowncoatof
arms,whatsymbolswould
you put on it to tell people
about you?
National Museum of Scotland
• Tomakethecloth,thebarkwouldhavebeensoakedinsea
water for two weeks. Then the bark fibers would have been
beaten to compact them and to make them thin before
leaving the cloth to dry.
• Theflagispaintedwithnaturalpigmentsincludingochre.
• Thecoatofarmswasdesignedin1875withthecreation
of the Tongan constitution.
•
Thethreeswordsrepresentthethreedynastiesofthe
kings of Tonga.
•
Thethreestarssymbolizethethreemainislandgroups
of Tonga.
•
Thedoveandolivebranchsymbolizethewishfor
God’s peace to reign over Tonga.
•
ThecrownsymbolizedtherulingkingofTongaand
the text at the bottom means ‘God and Tonga are my
inheritance’.
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
The scene on the insidewhat does it show?
Dragonsflyingintheclouds
and breathing fire
Touch
Spin the globe on its stand.
Itlooksasthoughthe
dragonsareflyingpast
you.
Asian artefacts
3. Glass globe
Think
The paint will last longer on
the inside of the globe than
if it was on the outside.
Why do you think this is?
•
ThisisadecorativeglassglobepaintedusingaChinese
techniqueknownas‘insidepainting’.
•
Insidepaintinginvolvesinsertingathin,angledbamboo
pen loaded with colored paint into the small opening in the
neck of a bottle or globe and painting in the space inside
of it.
• Thistypeofpaintingoriginatedin‘snuffbottles’inthe
19th century and the artists who do it are extremely highly
regardedduetothedifficultyofthetechnique.
•
National Museum of Scotland
Legendhasitthatduringthe19thcenturyQingDynasty,
an official member of the court stopped for a rest at a
smalltemple.Whenhetookouthissnuffbottle,hefound
itwasemptysoheusedathin,sharpbamboostickto
scrape out the powder that was stuck to the sides. He
threw the bottle away but it was found by a young monk
whosawthattherewasanattractivepatternontheinside,
left where the bamboo had scraped the powder. This
wassaidtobethe‘invention’ofinsidepainting.Inside
paintingexamplesincludelandscapescenes,animals,
portraits and poems.
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Usingthepictureofthe
board,canyoumatchthe
pieces in the box to their
role?
Touch
Touch the pieces- they are
smallandround,notlike
our chess pieces. Can you
think of a game you play
that uses pieces like this?
Draughts,ConnectFour
Think
Lookattheboxthepieces
came to the museum in.
do you think this is the
original box? What does
it tell us about where the
pieces came from and
were owned by?
4. Gaming pieces
•
TheseareXiangqigamingpiecesfromChina.
•
Xiangqiisatwoplayerboardgamesimilartochessthat
represents a battle between two armies with the object
beingtocapturetheopposingplayers‘general’.Itisoften
referred to as ‘Chinese chess’ in English.
• Unlikechess,theboardcontainsfeaturessuchasa‘river’
and ‘palace’ which prevent certain movements.
• Thesepiecesarecarvedfromwoodwithaboneorivory
inlay.
• Thesepiecesdonotformacomplete‘set’(thepiecesfrom
one side of the board). A complete set consists of:
1 General
2 Advisors
2 Elephants
2 Horses
2 Chariots
2 Canons
5 Soldiers
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Theorange,blueandyellow
stones covering the top
of the headdress. These
representcoral,turquoise
and amber.
Touch
Try on the headdress. What
does it make you feel like?
5. Headdress
•
Think
Count the braids. How
many are there?
ThisisareplicaofaTibetanheaddress.
• Tibetansloveexuberantdecorationandmanyeveryday
items are richly coloured and highly embellished.
• TheheaddressisthechiefadornmentfornomadicTibetan
women but nowadays it is mainly worn for festivals and
special occasions.
• Headdressesareoftenusedassymbolsoffamilywealth
and a married woman would wear more ornaments that
an unmarried one.
• Traditionalheaddressesareoftencoveredincoral,pearls,
amberandturquoiseasthesestonesareusedfortheir
mythicalproperties.Forexample,turquoiseissaidtohave
protective properties and coral is thought to ward off evil
thoughts.
• Theyoftenalsocontainbraidsandplaitsandsomecontain
108 braids as this is considered a lucky number and is
importantinTibetanBuddhism.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Lookathowthestrawis
woven. This is why it is
called a ‘knitted’ straw
hat.
Touch
Try on the hat. Do you think
it would give you much
protection from the rain or
snow?
6. Hat
•
Think about
Can you think of different
types of hat that we wear in
theUK?
ThishatbelongstoagroupoftraditionalJapanesehats
known as Kasa.
• Thewordkasabecomesgasawhenusedtonamea
particular type of hat.
• ThedifferenttypesofKasaareAmigasa,Jingasa(Samurai
hat),Sugegasa,TakuhatsugasaandSandogasa.
• ThisisanAmigasa,aknittedstrawhat.
• Itmayhaveoriginatedwhendancersusedittohidetheir
faces for modesty when performing for royalty.
National Museum of Scotland
•
Itisnowwornforfestivalsandfolkdances.
•
Duetotheirshape,manyoftheKasacouldbeusedto
protect the wearer from rain and snow.
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Lookathowthedrumis
made. Can you see where
the skin is held on by the
cords and how the cords
are twisted to make them
tight?
Touch
Hold the drum under one
arm and bang it without
squeezingitthenwith
squeezingit.Canyouhear
the difference in the notes?
Think about
What type of message do
you think would be sent
using this type of drum?
‘Come home for your
dinner’ or ‘Help! We are
being attacked’
African artefacts
7. Drum
•
Thisiscalledatalking drum and is made from animal hide
attached at each end to a wooden body by leather cords.
• Thetalkingdrumisheldunderthearmandthecords
squeezedandreleasedasthedrumishitwithastick.The
harderthedrumissqueezed,thehigherpitchedthenoteis.
• Talkingdrumsgettheirnamefromtherangeofnotesthey
give off.
• Therearemanydifferentsizesoftalkingdrums.Thelargest
is a ‘dun dun’ and the smallest a ‘gan gan’.
• TalkingdrumsareusedinvariousregionsthroughoutWest
Africa to sound prayers and blessings of a new day and to
send messages between villages.
• ThesedrumsspreadtoCentralandSouthAmericaandthe
Caribbean during the slave trade and were once banned
from African-Americans because they were being used by
the slaves to communicate with each other.
• Certaindrumpatternsandrhythmsareassociatedwith
spiritual beings in each tribe.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
The colourful beading used
to decorate the gourd.
Touch
Hold the gourd one way upwhat might it have been
used for this way up? Now
hold it the other way upwhat might it have been
used for this way up?
Think
Can you think of anything
that we use a hollowed out
fruit or vegetable for?
We make Halloween
lanterns from hollowed out
pumpkins and turnips.
8. Gourd
• Gourdsaretypesofhardskinnedfruitthataremembersof
the cucumber family.
• Hollowedoutanddriedgourdshavebeenusedbymany
societies across the world in different ways.
• Theycanbeformedtosuittheirspecificusesbybeing
shaped in a mould or tied with string as they were grown.
• Oneofthemostcommonlyusedgourdspeciesisthebottle
gourd which was first used as a water carrier but developed
morediversepurposessuchasstoringdrygrains,churning
butterandcheese,andbrewingbeer.
• Thebottlegourdisoftenusedasamusicalinstrument.
Bottlegourdshavebeenturnedintodrums,rattles,and
wind and string instruments.
• Thediverseformsofthebottlegourdarebeginningto
disappear as modern societies are replacing them with
pottery,aluminiumandplasticcontainers.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
The crisscross pattern
carved on the headdress
and the ‘banana’ shape to
fit the neck.
Touch
Pick it up. Although it is
made of wood it is very
light,notmuchheavier
than a pillow.
9. Headrest
•
Think
Do you think it would be
comfortable to sleep on?
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ThistypeofheadrestwasusedbythewarriorsofSouthern
African nomadic tribes to support their heads while they
slept and protect their elaborate hairstyles from falling out.
• Theheadrestwouldactuallyhavebeenplacedunderthe
neck.
• Mostheadrestslikethisaremadefromwoodandmay
have been carved in a style specific to the region it came
from or custom-made for its individual owner.
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
The crisscross pattern on the
base of the stool.
Touch
Have a seat on the stool.
Do you think it is
comfortable or not?
10. Stool
•
Think
Thisisquiteasimplestool
and not very elaborate.
Do you think it would have
been used for a king or a
normal person?
ThisisatraditionalBamilekestool.Thistypeofstoolhas
been used for hundreds of years and is distinguished by its
round shape and crisscross pattern.
• Bamilekestoolsarecarvedfromasingletreetrunkandare
usuallypolishedwithadarkshoestain.Theirsizedepends
onthesizeofthetreefromwhichtheywerecarved.
• InAfrica,stoolsareusedaseverydayobjectsandalsoas
symbols of status and power.
• Theyareconsideredtobehighlypersonalobjectsand
manyAfricanswouldbeshockedifafriend,relative,or
stranger used their stool. Some even believe that a persons
stool is the container for their soul.
• IntheBamilekepeoplethesestoolsarereferredtoasthe
“king’s stools” because the most intricate ones were used
as seats for tribal chiefs.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Lookatthewrinkles,creases
and hair on the skin.
Touch
Feeltheskin.Itismuch
rougher and tougher than
your own skin.
Artefacts from the natural world
11. Elephant skin
•
Think
What part of an elephant’s
body do you think might
have thinner skin?
Itsears
Thescientifictermforanelephantisapachyderm,which
means thick-skinned animal.
• Anelephant’sskinisextremelythickandtoughandaround
most parts of its body it measures about 2.5 centimeters
thick.
• Theirskiniscoveredinridgedcreasesandasparsecoating
of wiry hair.
• Elephantskinisusuallygraybutcanappearbrownorred
fromwallowinginmudholes.Mudactsasasunscreen,
protecting the elephant’s skin from harmful ultraviolet
radiation.
• Althoughitisthickandtough,anelephant’sskinisvery
sensitive to moisture loss and insect bites. They use their
trunks to blow soil on their bodies which dries and bakes to
form a protective coating.
• Elephantsalsowallowinmudtohelpregulatetheirbody
temperatures as they have difficulty in releasing heat from
theirskinbecause,because,inproportiontotheirbodysize,
they have very little of it. Some elephants have even been
seenliftinguptheirlegstoshowthesolesoftheirfeet,and
expose more skin to the air.
National Museum of Scotland
Teachers’ Resource Pack
Mystery items handling collection
See
Lookatthethinridges
that run the length of the
baleen. They are like the
ridges in your nails.
Touch
Feel the frayed edge of
the baleen- do you think it
would be good at
catching tiny sea creatures?
Think
Do you think whales eat
bigger fish as well?
No. Although they are the
largestmammalsonearth,
they survive on the tiniest
creatures.
12. Whale baleen
•
Baleenplatesareapartofawhale’sbodythatactlikea
sieveandcatchplankton,krillandothersmallorganisms
for the whale to eat.
• Whaleshaverowsofbaleenplatesintheirupperjaw
instead of teeth.
• Thebaleenareflexibleplateswithfrayed,hairyedgesto
filter the plankton and krill from large mouthfuls of sea
water.
• Theyarearrangedintwoparallelrowsandlooklikecombs
with thick hair at the end of each comb tooth.
• Baleenismadeofkeratin,likeourfingernailsandteeth,
and grows throughout a whale’s life.
• Abluewhale,thelargestmammalonearth,canhaveupto
320 baleen plates!
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Teachers’ Resource Pack