American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Madagascar: Island of the Ancestors (Exhibition)
birth: 1989 March 25
death: 1989 August 27
Exhibition. Opened in March 25, 1989 and closed August 27, 1989. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. "Madagascar: Island of the Ancestors" was an exhibition which explored the origins, history and culture of the Malagasy people of Madagascar.
Summary
"Madagascar: Island of the Ancestors" was an exhibition which explored the origins, history and culture of the Malagasy people of Madagascar. On view were some 500 artifacts including gold and silver jewelry, burial cloths, funerary sculpture, weapons and royal regalia. The centerpiece was a reconstruction of a Malagasy village. The exhibit, which originated at the British Museum (Museum of Mankind), focused on funerary practices and other ceremonies that invoke the ancestors. The American Museum supplemented the cultural materials with a section which focused on the natural history of Madagascar. Research for the exhibition was conducted by the Museum of Mankind in association with the Malagasy Ministry of Culture and the Museum of Art and Archaeology of the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. John Mack, assistant keeper at the Museum of Mankind, was the curator for the exhibition. He worked in consultation with Ian Tattersall and Enid Schildkrout, curators in the Department of Anthropology at the American Museum. The exhibit was supported by the British Museum, the Museum of Art and Archaeology of the University of Antananarivo, Air Madagascar and the American Museum of Natural History and was on view in Gallery 3 of the American Museum of Natural History from March 25 through August 27, 1989.
Individuals and institutions involved in the creation of the exhibition: British Museum (Museum of Mankind); John Mack, Ian Tattersall, Enid Schildkrout; AMNH Department of Anthropology.