Already known for its fine American Indian collections and its Arctic
Archeological research collection, The Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology at
Brown University in Providence Rhode Island has also some important African Art
collection, collected in the XIXth century.Some very fine Mangbetu pieces,
Yoruba, Chokwe, Akan, Nsapo, etc...
The Haffenreffer Museum's holdings, representing human cultures worldwide,
total 112,834 items, of which 15,139 are ethnographic, all of which are
catalogued. While strongest in Native North American materials, the HMA also
contains significant material from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and
Asia. including:
- 6,113 objects from North America, including striking
artifacts from the Plains tribes
- 2,986 items from South and Central America, including
pre-Columbian objects (among them Andean textiles and the earliest known
wool tapestries from Peru.
- 2,924 items from Africa, some of them by contemporary
artisans
- 424 items from Europe
- 1,087 items from Asia
- 1,530 items from Oceania
While current facilities in Bristol limit the number of objects on display at
any one time, the collections are available to qualified researchers. The Museum
has nearly completed entering the catalogue onto a computerized data base,
allowing for easy search and reporting on the collection. For research access,
please contact Kevin Smith at (401)
253-8388.
read also : Brown University
