Museums and Skeletons: prospects and challenges of cataloguing, storing and preserving human remains in the Museum of Archaeology, Ghana

Abstract

The conversation on heritage preservation and safeguarding is associated with the responsibility of a specialized institution – the museum. However, without proper guidelines and resources, a museum's function as a guardian of the soul or history of populations and material culture cannot be effectively and efficiently executed. This article assessed the prospects and challenges of cataloguing, storing and preserving human remains and the prospects for scientific analyses and exhibition in the Museum of Archaeology at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, University of Ghana. The qualitative method was employed involving the tools of observation and open/conversational interview sessions. Study findings on contributing factors to the subject matter of the article included unfavourable storage conditions and the unavailability of an (updated) archival system for the remains. Additionally, the short supply of biological anthropologist and funds for the museum amidst sensitivities engulfing handling human remains, constrain the possibility of harnessing their objective voice in research: interpretation and reconstruction of life histories. To address these challenges, conducive and monitored storage environments; holistic inventory system; capacity building and partnerships; safety and access controls; minimal / reversible treatments and preventive conservation are required to extend the “life” of the human remains. The proclivity of exhibiting/displaying human remains in the museum is unlikely; its likelihood, however, will be for the purposes of teaching and learning in a controlled environment. The observation of ethical measures for storing, cataloguing, handling and preserving human remains in the museum is expedient. Without urgency, the “little foxes” in management may hinder the preservation of the human remains for posterity, in spite of efforts to maintain and sustain the museums’ capacity for safeguarding the osseous tissues and heritage.