[Virtual Museum] The Anthropological Meanings of Toys

The Virtual Museum at the Department of Anthropology, CUHK, offers the public a digital exhibition of ethnographic collections and archaeological artifacts collected by the teachers and students of the Department over the last three decades. Theme of current exhibition is "The Anthropological Meanings of Toys".

To view more displayed exhibits, please visit the website of Virtual Museum: http://arts.cuhk.edu.hk/~ant/museum/feature.php.

Toys are commonly regarded as objects for children to play with, which help children to explore their relationships with the world, and train them in the skills they need as they grow up. To anthropologists, toys also carry rich cultural meanings. Toys reflect the perceptions of different societies on the nature of childhood and play―a perception about how children’s nature can be cultured. (Schwartzman 1978:9) They also reveal the economic, sociocultural, and technological transformations that a society has gone through. (Schwartzman 1978:9)

The variety of toys is large and highly diversified, ranging from miniatures of objects commonly seen in daily life (e.g. toy train), to distorted or imaginative ones beyond everyday experience (e.g. monster figures). (Sutton-Smith 1986:248,252) Many toys convey gender values, such as kitchen sets and dolls aimed at girls, while toy cars and guns are meant for boys. These toys socialize children of different sexes to behave and grow up in accordance with the gender expectations of society.

The possession of toys is related to ideas of consumption. They teach children meanings of buying and selling, and help them to learn “the materialistic culture habits”. (Sutton-Smith 1986:2) In fact toys are not only consumed by children, but also by adults. Toys, in adult’s collections, may acquire a different set of meanings. They may be collected for the purpose of investment or speculation, or for a nostalgic feeling that enables the owner to reconnect with the past through toys with the same leitmotif. (Bosco 2001:266; McVeigh 2000:225)

Under globalization, toys may be deterritorialized and reterritorialized, during which some original features of the toys are kept and new cultural elements are incorporated. This is done to promote the product in the new market, but simultaneously it may lead to challenges or integration of cultural meanings from the originating and the receiving societies.

The symbolic values and representations carried by toys are meaningful not only to the players themselves, but also to their societies and to anthropologists. As Sutton-Smith argued, “Toys, apparently the most minimal of our concerns, turn out to be intimately related to many larger cultural patterns in the family, technology, schools, and the marketplace.” (1986:253)

Reference

Bosco, Joseph. 2001. “The McDonald’s Snoopy Craze in Hong Kong” in Gordon Mathews and Lui Tai-lok, eds. Consuming Hong Kong, pp. 263-285. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

McVeigh, Brian J. 2000. “How Hello Kitty Commodifies the Cute, Cool and Camp: ‘Consumutopia’ versus ‘Control’ in Japan.” Journal of Material Culture 2000:225-245.

Schwartzman, Helen B. 1978. Transformations: The Anthropology of Children’s Play. New York and London: Plenum Press.

Sutton-Smith, Brian. 1986. Toys as Culture. New York: Gardner Press.

[Virtual Museum] Masks and Tibetan culture

The Virtual Museum at the Department of Anthropology, CUHK, offers the public a digital exhibition of ethnographic collections and archaeological artifacts collected by the teachers and students of the Department over the last three decades. Theme of current exhibition is "Masks and Tibetan culture". To view more displayed exhibits, please visit the website of Virtual Museum.

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Masks and Tibetan culture

Anthropologists have been interested in studying masks and their rich symbolic content in various cultures and contexts. Masks have been used to conceal, transform, and represent identities (Pollock 1995:584). They not only represent or originate from positive images, but also reveal what the community disapproves of (Lévi-Strauss 2013:6). The characters they represent, or even the colors they use, may reflect their belief and classification of sacredness and profanity.

Claude Lévi-Strauss, a notable French anthropologist, studied the masks of the Salish, Nootka, and Kwakiutl, and wrote the book The Way of the Masks. He believed that every type of mask is connected with its own myth, which provides an explanation on its origin and supernatural power, and assures its value in the ceremonial, economic and social aspect of the society (Lévi-Strauss 2013:14).

Take Tibetan masks as an example: Tibet has a great variety of masks, which can be divided into three major categories: masks for Chams (religious dances), hanging masks and masks for operas. The Tibetan masks used for Chams and operas are heavily colored by totemism, and the masks of a cow, tiger, dragon and phoenix are imitations of the scared figures of their religion (Huarui 1998:112). The “Tibetan Twelve Masks”, which can be found in Sichuan, China, are commonly used in a Tibetan dance called caogai wu. During important ceremonial events, the Tibetans will perform this dance and play drums and gongs. They will wear wooden masks representing various animals and characters. The dance performance can take place at various locations, for example, on the roads, by lakes, and at gathering places. There are as many as 40 ways to perform the dance. The dance with these twelve masks is a gesture of Tibetan people to pray for peace and stability. While dancing, they also sing the “Song of Liquor” as a toast to guests and to recall past times.

[Virtual Museum] Religion and the material culture of luck

The Virtual Museum at the Department of Anthropology, CUHK, offers the public a digital exhibition of ethnographic collections and archaeological artifacts collected by the teachers and students of the Department over the last three decades. Theme of current exhibition is "Religion and the material culture of luck". To view more displayed exhibits, please visit the website of Virtual Museum.

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Religion and the material culture of luck 

Anthropologists study the influence of religion on social organization and examine how religion, through the use of symbols and meanings, creates powerful emotion and maintains solidarity among believers. Religion can be regarded as a socio-cultural construct, which provides common values and gives meaning to people's life. Anthropologists are not concerned with the truth of religion; rather, they investigate the role of religion in people's life. 

Luck is perceived as something that is outside human control, which may affect one's life favorably or unfavorably. Luck has often been associated with religious faith. Objects that "receive the blessing of deities" are often believed to have the power to protect believers and bring them good luck. Therefore, many people are willing to make acts of devotion and pay for these kinds of sacred objects. 

Amulets from Tianhou (Mazu) Temple

Blessings of deities are materialized as objects of luck. Lucky charms, amulets and key chains are some of the examples. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, Tianhou (also known as Mazu and Tin Hau) is widely worshipped by fisherfolk who believe that she can ensure their safety. Temples to Tianhou often sell or give out various objects of luck that can protect the believers and bring them fortune. Guanyin is also a popular deity worshipped in China and Southeast Asia. It is believed that Guanyin has mercy over people and will save them from pain. Luck also has a significant role to play in everyday life in contemporary Japan. Many Japanese people purchase engimono (lucky things that are associated with the blessings of deities) or pay visit to shrines and temples at the start of New Year to pray for good fortune. 

"Blessing rice"

Some sacred objects, such as "blessing rice" (literally "rice that brings safety"), have blurred the distinction between their use and symbolic value. This reflects the contradiction between the materiality of common objects used in everyday life and the spiritual value embedded in these things that can be constructed by consecration or circulation.