Colonial representations of race in alternative museums: The ‘African’ of St Benet’s, the ‘Arab’ of Jorvik, and the ‘Black Viking’

Abstract

ABSTRACT The deceased person given the label of SK 3379 by archaeologists working at the Swinegate site in York, United Kingdom, provides an interesting perspective into the world of Early Medieval Northern Europe. This person, aged around forty-six at time of death, had cranial features unlike those typically found in the area, but rather pointed towards a biology found in Africa. Informally named ‘The African’, this person went on display at the Jorvik Centre as part of its post-flood revival. This article examined the background and significance of this person as well as the choices in display and narrative around them. It looks at the way the ‘African’ of St Benet’s became the ‘Arab’ in the Jorvik Centre, and the coloniality of the choices underlying such a choice. Finally, through visitor interviews, a decolonial approach to re-storying this person, the ‘Black Viking’ is forwarded. This article contains images of displayed human remains.