A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » Europe
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Dutch to return Ghana king's head



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 09:33 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,alt.activism.death-penalty
Earl Evleth[_1_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,417
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head

On 22/03/09 22:16, in article
, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

Badu Bonsu II, leader of the Ashanti tribe, is believed to have been
decapitated in retaliation for the killing of two Dutch emissaries.


Ashanti's were a warrior tribe who the Brits a hard time too.
A tough bunch.

  #2  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 10:09 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,alt.activism.death-penalty
John Rennie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 610
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head


"Earl Evleth" wrote in message
...
On 22/03/09 22:16, in article
, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

Badu Bonsu II, leader of the Ashanti tribe, is believed to have been
decapitated in retaliation for the killing of two Dutch emissaries.


Ashanti's were a warrior tribe who the Brits a hard time too.
A tough bunch.


Will the Ghananians return the Dutch officials' heads?


  #3  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 10:16 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,alt.activism.death-penalty
Gregory Morrow[_125_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head

Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7955997.stm

"Dutch to return Ghana king's head

The head of a Ghanaian king executed by Dutch colonists in the 1830s is to
be returned to its homeland for burial, say authorities in the Netherlands.

Badu Bonsu II, leader of the Ashanti tribe, is believed to have been
decapitated in retaliation for the killing of two Dutch emissaries.

The Leiden museum, which has been storing the head, said it hoped it could
now have a dignified burial.

Ghana had said the king would not be at rest if the head remained where it
was.

King Bonsu is thought to have been executed after the two officials were
killed during a rebellion against European rule in the country, hanging
their heads on his throne as a trophy.

At some point, the king's head was taken from Ghana to the Netherlands, and
has been kept in a jar of formaldehyde at the Leiden University Medical
Centre ever since.

Author Arthur Japin told Dutch media last year that he once saw the head
while researching a historical novel.

"He's got a little ring beard, his eyes are closed as if he's sleeping,"
said Mr Japin.

"My first thought was, this is not fitting."

After hearing of the head's location in 2008, Ghana filed a request for its
return, saying if it remained unburied the king would be incomplete and
therefore "hunted in the afterlife".


'Good thing'

Now, a Dutch culture ministry spokesman has said the museum has decided to
"restore the head to Ghana" as a matter of dignity.

The museum said in a statement that officials had been in contact with
Ghana to arrange for the careful return of the preserved head.

They said they had not allowed any photographs to be taken out of respect
for the human remains.

The BBC's Will Ross in Accra says respect for the dead has huge cultural
significance in Ghana.

Ghanaian historian Prof Addo-Fening told the BBC that the museum's decision
was "very, very important".

When people die and their bodies are not found and buried, it leaves a
lingering fear that they will not find rest with their ancestors until this
is done," he said.


"As he was a king, putting his head on display would amount to some form of
humiliation for his people - but they now have an opportunity to show some
reverence to their late king before they bury him."

"I imagine that this will be a a good thing for the psyche of the
community," he said.

Museum spokesman Marleen van't Oever told AFP that no date had yet been
arranged for the return but it was "likely to be in the long term".

The museum's move follows decisions by other western museums to return items
taken during colonial times or explorations.

In 2006, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland returned to New Zealand the
preserved heads of nine tattooed Maori tribesman seized in the 19th Century.

The same year, Britain's Natural History Museum returned the remains of 18
indigenous people taken from Australia.

/






  #4  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 10:52 PM posted to rec.travel.europe,alt.activism.death-penalty
Runge14[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 171
Default greg morrow cretin OT and crosspost as usual


"Gregory Morrow" a écrit dans le message de
m...
Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7955997.stm

"Dutch to return Ghana king's head

The head of a Ghanaian king executed by Dutch colonists in the 1830s is to
be returned to its homeland for burial, say authorities in the
Netherlands.

Badu Bonsu II, leader of the Ashanti tribe, is believed to have been
decapitated in retaliation for the killing of two Dutch emissaries.

The Leiden museum, which has been storing the head, said it hoped it could
now have a dignified burial.

Ghana had said the king would not be at rest if the head remained where it
was.

King Bonsu is thought to have been executed after the two officials were
killed during a rebellion against European rule in the country, hanging
their heads on his throne as a trophy.

At some point, the king's head was taken from Ghana to the Netherlands,
and
has been kept in a jar of formaldehyde at the Leiden University Medical
Centre ever since.

Author Arthur Japin told Dutch media last year that he once saw the head
while researching a historical novel.

"He's got a little ring beard, his eyes are closed as if he's sleeping,"
said Mr Japin.

"My first thought was, this is not fitting."

After hearing of the head's location in 2008, Ghana filed a request for
its
return, saying if it remained unburied the king would be incomplete and
therefore "hunted in the afterlife".


'Good thing'

Now, a Dutch culture ministry spokesman has said the museum has decided to
"restore the head to Ghana" as a matter of dignity.

The museum said in a statement that officials had been in contact with
Ghana to arrange for the careful return of the preserved head.

They said they had not allowed any photographs to be taken out of respect
for the human remains.

The BBC's Will Ross in Accra says respect for the dead has huge cultural
significance in Ghana.

Ghanaian historian Prof Addo-Fening told the BBC that the museum's
decision
was "very, very important".

When people die and their bodies are not found and buried, it leaves a
lingering fear that they will not find rest with their ancestors until
this
is done," he said.


"As he was a king, putting his head on display would amount to some form
of
humiliation for his people - but they now have an opportunity to show some
reverence to their late king before they bury him."

"I imagine that this will be a a good thing for the psyche of the
community," he said.

Museum spokesman Marleen van't Oever told AFP that no date had yet been
arranged for the return but it was "likely to be in the long term".

The museum's move follows decisions by other western museums to return
items
taken during colonial times or explorations.

In 2006, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland returned to New Zealand
the
preserved heads of nine tattooed Maori tribesman seized in the 19th
Century.

The same year, Britain's Natural History Museum returned the remains of 18
indigenous people taken from Australia.

/







  #5  
Old March 22nd, 2009, 10:52 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Runge14[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 171
Default All the kooks answer morrow vogtgambal you may come out it's OT !!!


"Martin" a écrit dans le message de
...
On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:16:06 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:

Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)


Are you suggesting Mixi's head is in a dark gloomy place too?
--

Martin


  #6  
Old March 23rd, 2009, 05:50 AM posted to rec.travel.europe,alt.activism.death-penalty
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 18
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head



Gregory Morrow wrote:

Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7955997.stm

"Dutch to return Ghana king's head

The head of a Ghanaian king executed by Dutch colonists in the 1830s is to
be returned to its homeland for burial, say authorities in the Netherlands.

In 2006, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland returned to New Zealand the
preserved heads of nine tattooed Maori tribesman seized in the 19th Century.

The same year, Britain's Natural History Museum returned the remains of 18
indigenous people taken from Australia.

There is a documentary, "Give Us Our Skeletons", which is well
worth viewing. The northern Europeans had a whole industry of
collecting First Peoples' skulls. This wasn't really science, which
of course bones can be useful for, it was basically just idiotic
racism. They were trying to prove that Sami in this example were
inferior to the 'white' Eurons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Us_Our_Skeletons




--
"Now, boys, we got three engines out; we got more holes in us than
a horse trader's mule; the radio's gone and we're leakin' fuel, and
if we's flying any lower, why, we'd need sleigh bells on this
thing. But we got one little budge on them Rooskies, at this
height, why, they might harpoon us but they dang sure ain't gonna
spot us on no radar screen."
-Major Kong, "Dr Strangelove", channeling president Obama's State
of the Union speech.
  #9  
Old March 24th, 2009, 07:40 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Gregory Morrow[_126_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head


Martin wrote:

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:16:06 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"

wrote:

Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)


Are you suggesting Mixi's head is in a dark gloomy place too?



Inside the minibar...???


--
Best
Greg


  #10  
Old March 24th, 2009, 07:49 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Gregory Morrow[_126_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5
Default Dutch to return Ghana king's head


Martin wrote:

On Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:40:46 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"
wrote:


Martin wrote:

On Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:16:06 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"

wrote:

Can Mixi be far behind...???

;-)

Are you suggesting Mixi's head is in a dark gloomy place too?



Inside the minibar...???


... he calls home.



At least it is "air conditioned"...

;-)


--
Best
Greg


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Buying a return ticket with the option of changing the return date [email protected] Australia & New Zealand 0 June 14th, 2006 11:39 PM
Buying a return ticket but not specifying a return date (within a year) from UK [email protected] Australia & New Zealand 5 March 25th, 2006 11:00 AM
Recommend King's Hotel Munich Harlen Ng Europe 1 February 8th, 2004 04:24 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:55 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.