ABOUT THE MUSEUM

Please click on the links below to find out more about the Walter Roth Museum.

Background
Objectives
Management Policy
Education Policy
Scientific Advisory Committee
Contact Information

BACKGROUND

The Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, the first museum of anthropology in the English-speaking Caribbean was founded in the year 1974 with the collections of Guyanese Archaeologist Dr. Denis Williams. In 1980 the ethnographic collections of Dr. Walter Roth, Mr. J.J. Quelch and Sir Everard im Thurn were transferred to the Walter Roth Museum from the Guyana Museum. The Museum was opened to the public in 1982. An ethnographic collection of the Waiwai was presented to this Museum in 1991 by Guyanese Cultural Anthropologist Dr. George P. Mentore. The Museum's collections also include excavated artifacts from all of the ten Administrative Regions of Guyana.

Frontspiece of the 38th Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, presented to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Instititution in 1924 in which the paper by Dr Walter Roth entitled "An introductory study of the arts, crafts and customs of the Guiana Indians" was presented

Human cranial fragments from the Piraka Shell Midden in the Pomeroon River

The Museum is presently housed in its Archives, while rehabilitation to its main building continues. Another building in its compound which is reserved for the Library, awaits renovation.

Archaeology and Anthropology, the Museum's joumal is published annually and subscribers include leading universities and libraries of the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa and the Caribbean. Other publications include monographs by renowned scholars in the sub-disciplines of anthropology and children's books on prehistoric Guyana.

The Museum's out-reach programme, JUNIOR ARCHAEOLOGY, caters for the nursery, primary and secondary levels of formal education while the Library is equipped to supply information for all levels of research.

OBJECTIVES

The Museum shall pursue any aim and objective relating to its mission and function as a Museum of Anthropology, and in particular:

promote and make the Museum accessible to students, researchers, and the general public through the rendering of professional assistance and service to them
market the Museum as an institution for the acquisition of, insight into and understanding of the various cultures of the Indigenous peoples of Guyana
encourage continuing research on different aspects of the collection by students and academics
provide appropriate storage facilities for the collection
store and preserve the collection under optimum conditions in line with its mission as a depository of artifacts of anthropological and archaeological significance
expand the collection in keeping with the mission of the Museum.

EDUCATION POLICY

The role of Museum education is to support the mission of the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology by promoting and expanding the range of communication between the Museum and its audience. Education will play a key part in promoting greater public awareness of the existence of the Museum; the nature and role of the Museum and its collection; enhancing visitor's understanding of the subject matter of the collection; and in encouraging the use of the Museum and its collection by schools, tertiary institutions, and youth and community groups.

Visitors at the Museum

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The Scientific Advisory Committe monitors and advises the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology on the research programmes generally, but particularly with respect to the coordination of national programmes with ongoing investigations in anthropology in South America and the Caribbean. The Committee also monitors the Museum's journal Archaeology and Anthropology with the objective of maintaining and/or improving its scientific standard. The Committee advises in the matter of professional appointments to the Museum in the fields of anthropology and museology and in Museum management, training, and policies relating to Museum collections.

The Scientific Advisory Committee of the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology (1996-2000) comprises:

Alissandra Cummins, MA	Director, Barbados Museum and Historical Society and Founder of the Museums Association of the Caribbean (MAC). Barbados.
Betty J. Meggers, PhD	South American Archaeologist, Smithsonian Institution,, Washington D.C
Audrey Butt-Colson, PhD	Cultural Anthropologist, Glouchestershire, U.K.
Erika Wagner, PhD	Archaeologist, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela.
Mark Phew, PhD	Archaeologist, Boise State University, Idaho,- U.S.A.

MANAGEMENT POLICY

Acquisitions

The Museum accepts into its collections artifacts which: relate to the prehistory of Guyana which the Museum has the competence to conserve and which enhance and expand its ethnographic collections

Deaccessioning

The Museum has the right to dispose of objects, by exchange, donation or sale, which are unrelated to the above. Deaccessioning is the responsibility of the Director, following discussions with his/her curatorial staff.

Access to Collections

The Director may, at his or her discretion, make study collections or archival materials available on the Museum premises for the purpose of research to suitably qualified persons who are sponsored by a recognized academic institutions.

Loans

Loans of ethnographic or archaeological materials from the Museum's collections cannot be considered. Incoming loans must conform to Acquisitions above and are subject to approval by the Director and curatorial staff. Incoming loans must be insured by the owner.

Care of Collections

It is the responsibility of the Director and staff to protect the Museum's collections from theft, vandalism and natural disaster. Collections on exhibition are examined daily for any sign of deterioration. Collections in storage are examined weekly.
Contact
The Curator
Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology
PO Box 10187 Georgetown, Guyana
Tel: (592)-225-8486
email wrma@sdnp.org.gy