Indian Museum Research Articles

<i>Pupina peguensis</i> Benson, 1860 (Mollusca:Pupinidae): Tracing a Long Lost Molluscan Type

Here, we have reported a type Pupina peguensis Benson, 1860 lost long from a general lot of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and provided an accession number to the specimen as “holotype”. This pupinid snail was donated by the Asiatic Society of Bengal to the Indian Museum and thereafter, transferred to the ZSI. Unfortunately, the specimen was overlooked or has been misplaced with general collections. During the current revision of Benson’s molluscan types, we have found this specimen and assigned the status of a holotype based on norms of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). The detailed illustration and original descriptions are presented in the paper along with an accession number. The original and modified descriptions are also provided.

Generation studies on benthic amphipod-Quadrivisio bengalensis, Stebbing (Gammaridae) from the Kochin Estuary, Southwest coast of India.

Quadrivisio bengalensis (Stebbing Records of Indian Museum, 1, 159-161, 1907), a eurythermal (26.5-32.2 °C) and euryhaline (0.10-26.2 psu) tropical species, makes a profound contribution as a fodder organism to the benthic biomass of tropical backwaters. Studies on life span, variations in broods, fecundity, sex ratio, brooding behaviour, brood stock assessment, growth rate, antennal segments as an index of growth, moulting frequency, mortality and starvation resistance of Q. bengalensis were made for the first time under controlled laboratory conditions of 12-h photo period for 252 days on 8 pairs of specimens (male and female) collected from the field and their successive broods. The life span of females was found to be higher (maximum 220 days) than males (maximum 175 days). Number of broods varied between 5 and 15, depending on the "status of the brood" (early or late). The maximum number of juveniles in a single brood was 24 and that by a single female over the entire life span was 211. The incubation time varied between 6 and 9 days and the duration of moults (8-18 days) was found to increase with the age of the animals. Maximum growth is usually attained by the offspring arising from the 5th to 7th broods. The 4th to 7th broods were the optimal broods for the maximum number of females attaining maturity. For broods 3 to 7 of the parental set, probability of extinction (ξ) calculated on applying stochastic branching process to generation studies for the first time showed an increasing trend with number of broods while a decreasing trend for ξ for 8th and 9th broods, with least ξ for broods 5 to 7 of the 5th, 6th and 7th generations, suggesting life span and fecundity rates as functions of the "brood status" (early or late). Whether it is true with higher crustaceans remains to be explored.

A note onPlacenticeras warthiKossmat, 1895 (Ammonoidea), the type species of the genusHypengonocerasSpath, 1922

AbstractThe type speciesPlacenticeras warthiKossmat, 1895 described from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of South India is crucial for understanding the true affinity of the genusHypengonocerasSpath, 1922. The species description was based on a holotype and was influenced by the erroneous and misleading hand sketches of the species published in the literature. We recently inspected the type specimen archived in Geological Survey of India, Kolkata, along with one additional specimen kept in Indian Museum, Kolkata, and redescribe them in the present study.

A guilty pleasure? The Indian museum as a popular backdrop for selfies

ABSTRACTThe following article presents the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum Bhopal, India, (Tribal Museum) as an especially popular setting and backdrop for selfies and photographic self-portraits by Indian visitors. In general, museums are not considered ‘cool’ among young people in India. The article discusses why the Tribal Museum is so attractive as a selfie-backdrop and what kind of a relationship this practice establishes between visitors and museum. Thus, the text adopts a different perspective from the prevailing one in literature, which looks at the selfie either (approvingly) as visual ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising for the museum, or (critically) as a source of danger for the exhibited objects. Although clicking selfies is a frequent, and even dominant practice, the article shows that the visitors feel embarrassed and guilty because of their behaviour, and analyses the reasons for this apparent contradiction.

Plains Indian Buffalo Cultures: Art from the Paul Dyck Collection by Emma I. Hansen

Reviewed by: Plains Indian Buffalo Cultures: Art from the Paul Dyck Collection by Emma I. Hansen Emily C. Burns Plains Indian Buffalo Cultures: Art from the Paul Dyck Collection. By Emma I. Hansen. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2018. ix + 178 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. $34.95, paper. Joining an array of beautifully illustrated books that chart expansive private collections of American Indian art objects is Emma I. Hansen’s analysis of the Paul Dyck collection of about 2,000 objects, acquired in 2007 by the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. In the footsteps of his father, Dyck avidly pursued acquiring objects for his “Buffalo Culture Collection” over his lifetime, and also used his collection as inspiration for his own art-making. Hanson’s accessibly written and well researched volume presents a broad selection from this collection which largely comprises prereservation-era objects made by citizens of the Crow, Pawnee, Lakota, Arapaho, Cheyenne, [End Page 386] Shoshone, Hidatsa, Mandan, Arikara, Dakota, Kiowa Comanche, Blackfoot, Otoe, Nez Perce, and other indigenous nations in the Great Plains. Hanson’s analysis simultaneously considers points of cultural overlap and shared artistic interests across these communities while flexibly allowing for occasional divergences and cultural specificity as appropriate, such as for beading techniques. She interweaves discussion of the lineage of Plains Indian art traditions with the adaptability of art production during the beginning of the reservation era. After a foreword by Oglala Lakota artist Arthur Amiotte, thematic chapters cover (1) the context of “Buffalo Culture” societies; (2) the material culture of warrior and hunting societies; (3) an analysis of a muslin painting of warrior life by Apsáalooke (Crow) painter Mee-nah-t-see-us (White Swan); (4) the role of women in Plains Indian art production; (5) the function of visual culture to bestow leadership and respect, both for men and women; (6) the relationship of art to horse culture in the Plains; and (7) the legacies of the Dyck collection, as well as a discussion of its occasional reservation-era artifacts, like ration cards and passports. The volume might do more to show the reciprocity between the details of the aesthetics of the objects and their histories, contexts, and uses, as well as framing the Dyck collection objects in a larger trajectory of Plains Indian art production. For example, how does Meenah-t-see-us’s depiction of himself as a warrior scout working with the Seventh Calvary in 1876 overlap with and distinguish itself from Lakota painter Mató Nájin’s (Standing Bear’s) depiction of the Battle of Little Bighorn (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017.718.2)? Yet the volume is at its best in Hanson’s investments in indigenous voices in the textual as well as the visual by drawing a large percentage of its primary and secondary source material from indigenous accounts. Her project also draws welcome attention to the role of women in Plains Indian society, in a deep reading of their labor of producing art objects, in participating in ceremonies, and in developing societies for art production. For scholars of Native American art, spiritualities, and history as well as for the lay reader, this book blurs the boundaries between traditional and adapted art practices, in the process revealing the cultural layers of Plains Indian nations as well as their resilience. Emily C. Burns Department of Art and Art History Auburn University Copyright © 2019 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Archival sea turtles in National Zoological Collections of Zoological Survey of India

The archival zoological collections are the foundation of taxonomic nomenclature and systematics research. Name-bearing zoological collection of a species or subspecies and their comparative data often resolved many ambiguities in systematics, distribution patterns and other biological information. In this study, we revisited the sea turtles collections available at Zoological Survey of India and Indian Museum Gallery. The aimed study may reconcile the previous and present range distribution of this oldest faunal component in Indian waters. The detailed collateral data of the studied species would substantiate to know the actual range distribution, estimate the anthropogenic threats, and effect of climate change in estuarine eco-system, which helps in better conservation strategies.

Old fights, new meanings: Lions and elephants in combat

Old fights, new meanings: Lions and elephants in combat

Uncharted territory: Visitor books of Indian museums. The Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum in Bhopal – a case study

Visitor books for the general public are rather uncommon in India. As far as research is concerned, they are still mostly uncharted territory. The few existing visitor books, however, acquire a special significance: as pioneers in a nascent dialogue between visitors and institutions. This article explores their potential for providing information about the visitors to museums in India: their expectations and experiences, even their consciousness as citizens. Taking the visitor book of the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum in Bhopal in central India as an example, the article shows how the priorities of Indian commentators differ significantly from what researchers have found in visitor books of museums in the West – in terms of the issues addressed, of the form and style of the comments, and of the social references. This piece of research is part of a larger study examining how the historically foreign concept of the museum can be culturally adopted and made its own by an Indian public.

Notes on Ant-Like Spiders of the Family Attidae in the Collection of the Indian Museum

Notes on Ant-Like Spiders of the Family Attidae in the Collection of the Indian Museum

Kolkata

WORLDLITERATURETODAY.ORG 7 KOLKATA HAS MUCH TO OFFER any traveler, whether history buff, literary aficionado , culture seeker, or wandering flâneur. In several places around the city, all these converge within the spaces of colonial buildings , festivals, and even the streets. Two buildings reminiscent of Kolkata’s colonial past are the Victoria Museum and the National Library. The Victoria Museum , named after England’s Queen Victoria , was constructed after her death and officially opened in 1921. The museum has a large collection of books from science to literature, including several rare books dating back to the 1870s such as Shakespeare ’s Twelfth Night and The Arabian Nights. More rare books from the 1860s are housed in the National Library, which dates back to 1836 and is the first public library opened in the region. The library contains books in several different languages from the region and holds important historical periodicals and journals. During renovations in 2010, a 250-year-old enclosure was found with no entrance points. To this day, archaeologists speculate that the enclosure may be either a torture chamber or a blind chamber filled with treasure. Along with the old colonial buildings is the Oxford Bookstore (not affiliated with Oxford University Press), which has been selling books since 1920. The bookstore also created the Apeejay Literary Festival, now an annual event in January. It is arguably the oldest and largest literary festival in India, holding events at historical sites such as the Victoria Memorial, the Indian Museum, and the bookstore itself. The Kolkata Literary Festival, also known as Boi Mela, likewise occurs in January. Running for twelve days, it brings in over one million readers, writers, and vendors from around the world. The festival is an initiative of the Kolkata Book Fair, the second largest book fair after the Frankfurt Book Fair. A final place for the literary minded to explore is College Street, where the University of Calcutta and Presidency University are located. The street contains small and large bookstores that features rare books. It is the largest second-hand book market in India and the second largest in the world and contains such places as the famous Indian Coffee House, frequented by influential writers and artists as well as college students. Melissa Weiss is a WLT intern and MA student at the University of Oklahoma with an interest in contemporary Indian literature. photo : matthew winterburn ( flickr . com / bezoire ) Notebook city profile Kolkata by Melissa Weiss NOVELS SET IN KOLKATA Nirad C. Chaudhuri Autobiography of an Unknown Indian Amitav Ghosh The Shadow Lines and Sea of Poppies Jumpha Lahiri The Lowland Sankar Chowringhee Arunava Sinha, tr ...

Portuguese

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271991177 The experience of Portuguese colonization and its relationship with indigenous and possible activities through the first half of the eighteenth century reached different spatiality, including its western border, called Captaincy of Mato Grosso, Brazil. This study aims to historicize some aspects of dealing with the Indians, especially regarding the educational opportunities highlighted by the Portuguese Crown and its signatories, once indigenous territoriality that, with the passage of time and the Lusitanian actions, composed the domains of Transatlantic Portuguese Empire. The central aim is to present, through the records of Don Antonio Rolim de Moura, the first governor, aspects of indigenous education from the perspective of two-way street; at the same time, the policy tried to make them “docile”, making them workers to western ways, the surrounding society itself learned from the various ethnic groups which were the first teachers so to speak. If on one hand the captivity educated to work covertly, on the other hand sanctions or attempts to punish those who availed themselves of that labor were constantly applied. The religious influence regarding the topic is also noteworthy. It is considered the perspective of the coloniality of knowledge, with the exponent Immanuel Wallerstein and the world-system theory to embrace how Eurocentrism entered distinct spaces, including America. The survey data refer to the official published sources, which are also available in the collection of Indian Museum – Indian National Foundation in the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Keywords : Indigenous people, History of Education, Captaincy of Mato Grosso. Normal 0 21 false false false PT-BR X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Tabela normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Calibri,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Times New Roman; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}

American Indian Museum Director Speaks Out

American Indian Museum Director Speaks Out

Tachaea spongillicola (Cymothoida: Corallanidae) from West Bengal, India

The isopod Tachaea spongillicola (Corallanidae) was described by Stebbing (1907) from the freshwater sponge Eunapius carteri (formerly Spongilla carteri) at the Indian Museum Tank, Kolkata, India. Since then, this species did not appear in literature for nearly hundred years. In 2003, Mariappan et al. reported this isopod from three locations along the course of the Cauvery River near Tiruchirapalli, India. They found this species to occur on three species of prawns. However, during a recent survey at Burdwan (on 18 December 2012), the first author collected six specimens of this species (Registration Number ZSI C 6007/2) on the prawn Macrobrachium lamarrei from Damodar River at Kathgolaghat near Polempur (~2 km SE of Burdwan Town). The size of the isopod specimens varied between 7.6–8.0mm and 2.6–3.5mm. The specimens were found to fully match with the description of Stebbing (1907). Thus this endemic species is here recorded after 106 years from West Bengal.

On two reports associated with James Wood-Mason and Alfred William Alcock published by the Indian Museum and the Indian Marine Survey between 1890 and 1891: implications for malacostracan nomenclature.

Two rare documents associated with the Indian Museum and the Indian Marine Survey for the administrative year April 1890 to March 1891 have been examined and found to have nomenclatural consequences for malacostracan crustaceans. Even though they constitute available published works according to the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature, these reports have rarely been cited. Dating these two publications is of importance as they make decapod scientific names available and, in a few instances, describe the same taxa. After searching the collections deposited in the Asian and African Room, British Library, the Administration Report of the Indian Marine for the year April 1890 to March 1891 could be dated with some degree of certainty as 25 August 1891. In contrast, dating the Indian Museum Annual Report proved more difficult because after examination of copies held by the General Library in the Natural History Museum, London, it was evident that not all of these reports were consistently published on time to meet an end of year deadline. However, the publication of volume XXII of the Indian Museum Annual Report for the year April 1890 to March 1891 appeared to be contemporary with the year printed at the bottom of the title page. As no exact date could be established with confidence, the publication date for this volume was fixed as 31 December 1891 in accordance with ICZN Art. 21.3.2. Therefore the Administration Report of the Indian Marine (published 25 August 1891) is considered to take precedence over the Indian Museum Annual Report (published 31 December 1891) and as such the names made available in the former take priority. As original copies of the Administration Report of the Indian Marine are not readily available in most libraries and few scientists have actually had access to these publications, the relevant Appendix No. XIII, in which the names of several malacostracan taxa are made available, is reproduced here. Since the appendix is not conclusively attributable to a specific author, it is considered to be written anonymously and should therefore be cited as Anonymous (1891). A number of names in Appendix No. XIII are available since they are accompanied by a brief description of the taxa they denote, and are either attributable to James Wood-Mason or remain with anonymous authorship; others are nomina nuda without a diagnosis or indication, or have been diagnosed previously in the "Natural History Notes from H.M. Indian Marine Survey Steamer Investigator". The nomenclatural implications for eight names made available in Anonymous (1891) are discussed: Glyphocrangon caeca, Glyphocrangon sculptus var. coecescens, Psalidopodidae, Psalidopus, Psalidopus mirabilis, Psathyrocaris, Psathyrocaris fragilis and Psopheticus crepitans. The nomenclatural history of various other taxa, initially denoted by unavailable names in Anonymous (1891), is also documented. The authorships of the various crustacean taxa collected by the Indian Marine Survey Steamer Investigator during the seasons 1889-1890 and 1890-1891, and published in two series of connected parts in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, are also re-assessed and summarised. A rare document containing the list of R.I.M.S. Investigator stations for the period 1884-1913 is reproduced for the future benefit of the scientific community.

Roman Coins from the Masson and Mackenzie Collections in the British Museum

The British East India Company’s Museum in Leadenhall Street housed an eclectic range of objects that were predominantly collected by those associated with the Company. Charles Masson and Colin Mackenzie were two such individuals. Their collections were acquired by the EIC, and after the closure of the museum in 1878 the majority of the collections were dispersed to various institutions, including the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and the Indian Museum in Calcutta. While some coins were transferred to museums, most were sold at auction. In 1995, approximately 10,500 coins were discovered in the British Library's India Office Collections. Some 7000 of these came from Masson’s collection, and in December 2011 the majority of the remaining c. 4000 coins were traced to the Mackenzie collection.Among the India Office coins were 117 Roman and Nabatean bronze coins. This article examines them in more detail, also considering by whom, where, and when they were acquired, thus shedding considerable light on Masson and Mackenzie’s travels and collecting practices. Furthermore, it highlights the many thousands of late Roman bronze coins, from the fifth to seventh century AD, that were discovered in South India. It also brings out the urgent necessity of conducting a more detailed study to understand this period of Indo-Roman trading relations and the role of the late Roman bronze coins in South India.

Decolonizing museums: representing Native America in national and tribal museums

Museum exhibitions focusing on Native American history have long been curator controlled. However, a shift is occurring, giving Indigenous people a larger role in determining exhibition content. In Decolonizing Museums, Amy Lonetree examines the complexities of these new relationships with an eye toward exploring how museums can grapple with centuries of unresolved trauma as they tell the stories of Native peoples. She investigates how museums can honor an Indigenous worldview and way of knowing, challenge stereotypical representations, and speak the hard truths of colonization within exhibition spaces to address the persistent legacies of historical unresolved grief in Native communities.Lonetree focuses on the representation of Native Americans in exhibitions at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian, the Mille Lacs Indian Museum in Minnesota, and the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways in Michigan. Drawing on her experiences as an Indigenous scholar and museum professional, Lonetree analyzes exhibition texts and images, records of exhibition development, and interviews with staff members. She addresses historical and contemporary museum practices and charts possible paths for the future curation and presentation of Native lifeways.

Rare batfish species, Halicmetus ruber Alcock, 1891 (Lophiiformes: Ogcocephalidae), from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone

The first authentic record of deep-sea fishes was made with the help of those collected by R. I. M. S. Investigator in the book, ‘Indian Deep Sea Fishes in the Indian Museum’. The Fishery Survey of India, concentrating principally on the continental shelf region, carried out research on deep-sea fishes within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Data on deep-sea fish fauna are scarce, and the only available information is from the fishing cruises of FORV Sagar Sampada as part of its deep-sea finfishes stock assessment programme. Earlier studies on the ogcocephalid genus Halicmetus showed that it comprised two nominal species: H. ruber Alcock, 1891 collected from the Andaman Sea and H. reticulatus Smith and Radcliffe, 1912 from the Philippines (Ho et al., 2008). However, later studies revealed that the genus Halicmetus comprises four species, of which H. reticulatus is the only member with dorsal fin rays, whereas H. nigra sp. nov., H. ruber and H. cf. ruber lack these dorsal fin rays. Halicmetus ruber Alcock, 1891 is a small benthic fish (<10 cm total length) characterised by the absence of a dorsal fin (unique among batfishes) and no colour pattern on its disk. Halicmetus reticulatus is characterised by having two or three dorsal fin rays and a reticular disk colour pattern. However, Brauer (1906) recorded seven specimens with a small dorsal fin, purportedly H. ruber from the Andaman Sea. Furthermore, Smith and Radcliffe (1912) mentioned H. ruber specimens lacking a dorsal fin ray that were collected by the RV Albatross from the western Pacific. Weber (1913) described a subspecies, H. ruber marmorata, based on five specimens (ZMA 101.893) collected in Indonesia, and synonymised to H. ruber by Bradbury (1967). On the basis of all ogcocephalid genera morphological characteristics, Bradbury (1967) concluded that the Halicmetus head is distinguishable from others in that it: is markedly depressed, with the face flattened (truncated) and distinctly upturned; shows the presence of bucklers and small tubercles; has two gills, with gill filaments only on the 2nd and 3rd gill arches; the pectoral pedicles are not well attached to the body wall; has an interrupted lateral line and with the illicial bone split into two long processes. Halicmetus specimens are uncommon. Hence, an attempt has been made here to redefine this deep-sea fish by comparing its morphometrics and meristics with those of H. cf. ruber and H. reticulatus from the Pacific Ocean. Materials and methods

‘A swing of the pendulum, maybe’: Ojibwe self-representation, settler intolerance, and the collaborative state

This article considers the cultural politics of settlement in the contemporary USA through an analysis of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe's efforts to couple struggles for treaty rights with projects in self-representation. Resisting a logic of elimination, the band presents itself as a vital force, neither vanished nor vanquished. The band's Chief Executive denounces the State of Minnesota's intolerance, revealing a settler culture organised around sport and opposed to an Ojibwe ethics. At the same time, the state participates in Ojibwe assertion. At the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post State Historic Site, the Minnesota Historical Society works with the band to interpret the band's history and culture from its members' points of view and in keeping with their priorities. Working against mistaken expectations, Ojibwe museum guides demonstrate indigenous endurance, ingenuity, and settlement. These episodes herald a larger effort to politicise tolerance and shift the burden of history away from Ojibwe people and onto non-Natives. I examine ways the state begins to unsettle itself and its citizens through collaboration in indigenous projects. I attend also to an Ojibwe sense that something – but not everything – has changed.

California State Indian Museum

California State Indian Museum

Curating a Bhopal People’s Movement: An Opportunity for Indian Museums

Abstract This article explores the curatorial opportunities and challenges that emerge from an exhibition project in the central Indian city of Bhopal, the site of one of the world’s worst industrial tragedies in 1984, involving the Union Carbide pesticide factory. The government wants to build a memorial at the site, but some survivor groups say the government does not have the moral right to memorialize because it is complicit in the injustice meted out to the community. The survivors are now developing their own traveling exhibition, which they hope will eventually be a permanent museum in the city. They have enlisted me for the project because I advocate for contemporary social histories and people’s movements in Indian museums. The traveling exhibition has the potential to help guide India’s museums—which are locked in patterns of patriotic cultural showcasing—to confront troubling social discourses for the first time.