In a recent article on ALSA we mentioned that an archive is a by-product of human activity preserved in material to provide a direct window on past events. ALSA wants to be the custodian for these artefacts that are housed at bases and in personal collections. ALSA would like to become the memory of our Antarctic Legacy artefacts.
What is an artefact? “An object made by a human being, typically one of cultural or historical interest”
How old does an item need to be, to be considered as an artefact? There is misconceptions that an object can only be considered an artefact if it is of ancient civilisations and of a certain age. Artefacts cannot really be defined by age. If an item has a significance of cultural or historic value it is an artefact.
During our visit to SANAE IV in January 2019 we were able to photograph everything that we can get our hands on that we think will be of cultural or historical value. We came across many artefacts and this is the first in a series of articles where we would like to ask your help. All these artefact images are available, but we need to describe them to emphasise the value of the artefact. In the next few articles we will focus on items that have a story to tell and it would be great if these stories can form a part of the ALSA archive.
These images will feature on our Facebook page as well, but we would like you to write us an email if you have any information on these images .
We at ALSA appreciate your help and hope that we can give these artefacts their rightful place within the archive.
Please mail us at riaolivier@sun.ac.za/antarcticlegacy@sun.ac.za and quote the no of the image, e.g. Clothes 4.
It is also important that if you have clothing or other artefacts in your possession, to take images of them and mail it to us with the necessary descriptions. The best image would be to take it from above on a plain background and preferably a darker background. If the item is 3D please take a picture of the item from the different angles.
We do appreciate your help to ensure that we have a comprehensive collection of digital images of these items.
Ria Olivier, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, 18 June 2019