Posted by R. John Howe on April 16, 1999 at 04:34:14:
In Reply to: Re: Tribal Repairs posted by Marla Mallett on April 15, 1999 at 19:27:22:
Dear folks -
I wonder if the answer to Marla's question doesn't hinge on one's objectives in collecting.
If one is mostly centered on aesthetic quality then the ethnographic side of collecting may recede and more repair would seem justified.
If on the other hand one sees oneself as mostly collecting ethnographic artifacts then the desire to retain a given object in a state that reflected its use and condition in its source society would likely become much more important.
These kinds of considerations, how they are generated and whether they are applied only to one's own collecting decisions or are recommended to others, are one of the aspects of collecting that continually attracts my attention.
Regards,
R. John Howe