New Research on an Old Collection: Studies of the Philippine Expedition (“Guthe”) Collection of the Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan

Abstract

This article introduces recent studies on an important collection of Southeast Asian archaeological materials curated by the Asian Division of the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology. The Philippine Expedition or Guthe Collection derives from archaeological research conducted at more than 500 sites in the southern and central Philippines in the early part of the last century—from 1922 to 1925. The collection consists of some 13,000 objects from some of the earliest systematic archaeological research in Southeast Asia. For more than 80 years, scholars from the Philippines, China, Japan, Europe, and North America have visited the collection to study the materials and ask new questions about the Southeast Asian past. The articles here continue this trajectory by presenting recent research on early modern trade in blue-on-white porcelains; technological style and the classification of large stoneware dragon jars; the cultural context of cranial deformation; and a sourcing study of indigenous earthenware ceramics using instrumental neutron activation. In this article, I provide some background on the Philippine Expedition and the remarkable museum collection that it generated, as well as some of this research, which continues to mine new knowledge from this nearly century-old museum collection.

A local discourse on the early belief system from the Philippines using evidence from the Guthe Collection | Isang diskursong lokal sa sinaunang kosmolohiya sa Pilipinas gamit ang Guthe Collection

“…It is composed of archaeological and ethnological materials collected across 542 sites in central Philippines from 1922 to 1925 (Guthe 1927). These include 15,000 artefacts, Guthe's field notes, diary, and photographs (Sinopoli 2013). They are generally in good condition, properly curated, and accessioned using the original field number and the corresponding new UMMAA codes that made cross-referencing easy.…”

“…Bacus (2004) analysed the decorated sherds as part of her study on interchiefly alliances in central Philippines. To date, the most recent publications on the Guthe materials came out in a special volume of Asian Perspectives in 2013 on ceramics and artificial cranial modifications (Clark 2013;Dueppen 2013;Li 2013;Sinopoli 2013;Yao 2013).…”

A Checklist for Sustainable Management of Archaeological Collections

“…While collections reuse is on the rise for research (e.g., Collins et al 2010; Daniels 2014; Green et al 2014; Newbury 2014; Sinopoli 2013) and heritage uses by tribal communities (Colwell-Chanthaphonh and Ferguson 2008; McCarthy 2016; Neller 2004; Shackel 2011), it can be difficult for stakeholders to track down where collections are housed if the repository is not identified in the project report and site files. Some collections may not be readily accessible when requested for use due to incomplete Curation Preparation in Stage 4.…”