A Unique Insight Into Sri Lankan History At The Powell Cotton Museum In Kent

A Unique Insight Into Sri Lankan History At The Powell Cotton Museum In Kent

Pictures by Nimal Navaratne and Rohan Herath

On a Sunday in August, the Powell Cotton Museum in conjunction with Sri Lanka Tourism and cultural division of the Sri Lankan High Commission entertained the inauguration of a new exhibition of ancient ‘devil dancing masks’ from Sri Lanka.

The collection of 21 Sri Lankan masks at the Museum was purchased one hundred years ago by the Museum’s founder, Major Percy Powell Cotton (1866-1940) at Stevens Auction House in London. Stevens was renowned for its sales of natural history and ‘curiosities’ – ethnography from many cultures. The sales were frequented by representatives of many leading museums and the auction rooms were a place for professional discourse and social contact among the curators and collectors of the day.

Major Powell Cotton was a lifelong collector of natural history and ethnography. He made 28 collecting trips during his lifetime, initially going to India and Kashmir in 1889 and returning to Kashmir three times more in following years. From 1900 he focussed on Africa where he travelled widely. The Museum he founded in a pavilion in the garden of his large country house in Kent has expanded greatly from that one original room. The collections are supported by an amazing collection of photographs and movie film as the Major was a keen photographer from his early teenage years. Both the natural history and ethnography collections are regularly visited by academics from all over the World and the Museum’s primate collection is considered to be among the top research collections.

The collection of Sri Lankan masks previously belonged to a Mr GA Jennings, of Saltash, Cornwall. Where and when he acquired them no-one knows. Some of the masks have been identified. They certainly include examples from both the Kolam and Sanni traditions. They include Gara demon, Garulu Räkşa, Kola Sanniya and Naga Räkşa. Others in the collection have so far eluded definite identification but may include the God Sakra as an old man, Kapri Gani and some other Sanni masks. It is hoped that further research will produce better identification of the rest of the masks.

The Powell Cotton Museum at Quex Park, Birchington in Kent invited over 100 distinguished guests including the Honourable Acting High Commissioner Mr P Amza, to officially inaugurate the exhibition. Numerous members of the Sri Lankan community also came to enjoy the spectacle and see the collection in addition to the local town mayors, area councillors and representatives. Tea and traditional refreshments were provided to everyone by the Sri Lanka Tourism office in London. The Museum’s Friends organisation helped to serve the tea to visitors in the beautiful gardens of the Museum and Quex House. The crowd was entertained by the Sri Lankan Traditional dancers.

The Museum has been delighted with the interest shown by the Sri Lankan community in England and looks forward to welcoming more Sri Lankan people to see the masks. For more information contact the museum on 01843 842 168 or visit www.quexmuseum.org

Sesatha web on Facebook. Join now