PO.0.0.37294-PO.0.0.37321

Gift from Forminière

Most of these points – Stone Age tools – are registered as a gift from the Société interforestière et minière du Congo, Forminière for short. This mining and timber company was founded in 1906 in the resource-rich province of Kasaï, and was granted a concession by King Leopold II to mine a considerable area there. These objects (along with many others in the museum’s archaeological and geological collections) originate from that area. As the concession holder, Forminière was considered the donor, but in practice it was often intermediaries who excavated these kinds of objects or acquired them on site via a network. 

Important finds without context

For example, Maurits Bequaert, head of the museum’s Prehistory service, conducted excavations in Kasaï, in 1938-39, with Forminière’s support. Many of the points in these two display cases entered our collection at this time. Bequaert also received or purchased objects from villagers, colonial officials, missionaries and fellow scientists. The 18 points at the top of the display case were probably a gift from Ulysse Dropsy, a French geologist associated with the Muséum National d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. Unfortunately, that is all we know about the circumstances under which the points were acquired. These are, however, important scientific finds: they are textbook examples of the Lupembian – a Stone Age culture named after the Lupemba Valley, where these points were also found.