First inventory of objects from Suriname in the Netherlands

15th of April, 2024

At the beginning of April, a Netherlands delegation visited Suriname, during which agreements were made about cooperation in the field of colonial collections. For this visit, the Colonial Collections Consortium mapped out which objects are present in Dutch public collections through the colonial history of the Netherlands and Suriname. This effort follows from the Dutch policy on handling objects that are brought from previously colonized areas and are now managed in the Netherlands.

The policy, aimed at redressing injustice, focuses on cooperation with countries of origin, processing a request for restitution and supporting provenance research. But where in the Netherlands can you find these cultural objects? How do you get information about these objects? And how are they described? The inventory answered some of these questions by zooming in on objects connected to the colonial history of the Netherlands and Suriname.

Inventory
For this first inventory, twenty-eight institutions that manage (part of) the national collection on behalf of the Dutch State were asked to examine their own collection, using a questionnaire. Twenty regional museums with a possible link with Suriname have also been contacted. By having the quick scan carried out by the institutions themselves, optimal use was made of their knowledge and experience with their own collection and its accessibility.

It is important for the reader to realize that the information in the inventory is limited to the institutions that responded and the data they shared. This first inventory is therefore far from exhaustive. Sometimes there is a backlog in collection registration, which means that institutions were unable to provide the requested information. Sometimes objects are not registered in a way that shows the connection with the colonial history of the Netherlands and Suriname. And sometimes there are obstacles due to the search options of a registration system. But for those who would like to conduct research into objects from Suriname that are managed in institutions in the Netherlands, this first inventory can provide a starting point.

The inventory is only available in Dutch

This document was shared with the National Museum Committee Suriname during the working visit of the Dutch delegation.