Indigenous Gallery

Princess Baa of the Ashanti and her husband - Ghana

Princess Baa of the Ashanti and her husband from Ghana - pictured outside the Gold Coast Pavillion at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park in 1924. Note the Princess is wearing European-style walking shoes, another hint as to the actual location of this shot (as mentioned above). Date: 1924

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Old Sami Man from Finnmark County, Norway

An old Sami Man from Finnmark County in the extreme northeast of Norway. The Sami peoples (also spelled Saami and also known as Lapps, although this term is considered derogatory) are an arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sapmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Date: circa 1910s

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection

Chad - Cupping - Indigenous medicinal practise

Chad, Central Africa - Cupping - Indigenous medicinal practise. Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin; practitioners believe this mobilises blood flow in order to promote healing. Suction is created using heat (fire), mechanical devices or the use of a tube or horn (as shown on this postcard). Date: circa 1930s

© Mary Evans / Grenville Collins Postcard Collection