"Among the Indians of Guiana”: Objects, Exchanges and Entangled Stories in Everard im Thurn’s Time (1852-1932)

Abstract

This paper turns to specific objects, setting them in historical and contemporary context, using both archival sources and information gathered at a trip to Guyana (2010), discussing aspects of Everard im Thurn’s (explorer, botanist, and photographer) collecting practices, and seeking to restore the ‘cross-cultural histories’. I will expose some examples in which it is possible to see the histories beneath the objects. Here, particular cases will show how Europeans absorbed elements of Indigenous knowledge as well as how Amerindians absorbed European elements. Through the objects, this paper aims to understand Everard im Thurn’s interest in certain items and comprehend why and how they were obtained.