How did the museum come to acquire a “Greenland collection” more than 100 years ago? In 1909 and in 1912/13, two Swiss expeditions set out for Greenland under the leadership of geophysicist Alfred de Quervain. The objects they collected not only served to produce ethnographic knowledge but based on the so-called principle of ethnographic analogy they were also important for the study of European prehistory. The material culture from the polar regions was used for comparison to reconstruct the lives of Stone Age reindeer hunters in the Late Ice Age 15 000 years ago.

This method connects the museum’s ethnographic and prehistoric archaeological collections. It is only when we bear in mind the concerns of both disciplines in the 20th century that we begin to understand why the museum’s curator of ethnography, Rudolf Zeller, was so keen to amass an Arctic collection in 1909 – and why more than half a century later the curator of archaeology, Hans-Georg Bandi, travelled to as far away as St Lawrence Island in Alaska to get an idea of what life would have been like for Swiss reindeer hunters and huntresses during the last great Ice Age.

Please note that this event will be taking place in German. 

An evening at the museum – Greenland
In conversation with experts and with audience participation, this series of events seeks to develop new and multi-faceted perspectives on the colonial legacy of the Greenland collection. The subject matter discussed, and the insight gained from the events will be fed back into the exhibition “Greenland ahoy! Perspectives on a colonial legacy”. As a consequence, it will be in a constant state of flux and will allow us to gather a new understanding and reappraise how Switzerland views Greenland today.

The exhibition “Greenland ahoy! Perspectives on a colonial legacy” will open its doors from 5 pm. (Admission is included in the ticket price.)
The bar will be open from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm.

Admission fee: CHF 16/person
Friends of the Museum, students, OAP/disabled, holders of a KulturLegi and persons with refugee status (N, S and F permits) can avail of a 50% discount. Raiffeisen, Swiss Museum Pass, Kultur-GA, “Bern Museum Card 24h”, “Bern Museum Card 48h” and “Swiss Travel Pass” will not be valid.

Sign up

You can sign up for the event here. Drop-in guests are also welcome, as long as there's space.

Greenland x Greenland 
With your ticket, you can also explore the exhibition “Greenland. Everything will change” at the ALPS Swiss Alpine Museum for free!