Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Wonder of the Tundra

The Ethnography Collection at the State Museum in Copenhagen contains the world's largest collection of Inuit North Danish fur panties in public ownership (not excluding the possibility of a larger collection in private hands). This is all due to Knud Rasmussen. From 1916 to 1924, in the course of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Thule Expeditions, he and his hand-picked team of ethnologists took their dog teams across Greenland and Eastern Arctic Canada, from one small transient Inuit settlement to the next. They would record each tribe's folklore, describe the material technology, watch the local shaman and try to work out his conjuring tricks, and then they would buy out the entire stock of the tribal sex shop.

"What is that interesting walrus-ivory carving under the counter? Yes, we'll buy that too. Do you have change for a dried haddock?"
After one of these visits the Inuit would be all "It's been a long day" (or night as the case may be) and "Let's just cuddle tonight and watch the Aurora Borealis" for the next six months until the shop could be restocked, and the shaman would be surprised by the sudden popularity of his grown-ups-only re-enactments of the creation and fertility myth.

Substance McGravitas goes on about his Biodiversity Museum but it has nothing on the Rasmussen Collection.

UPDATE: As mikey points out in comments, there is a missed opportunity here for Museum merchandising.

I forgot to mention the Novelty Condom cabinet:
UPDATE2: Inuit inflatable sex toys buoyancy aids tended to be functional rather than aesthetic.

19 comments:

J— said...

Where'd they get the dude with the fish in his mouth?

mikey said...

Can you connect me to the help desk please? I've been over every pixel of this post and I can't find the shopping cart function ANYWHERE. Also, I want to check inventory to make sure you have my...size, if'n y'know what I mean, and I'm pretty sure you do.

Also, too, on J--'s link I noticed that they have a Resistance Museum, but not even a small room devoted to Capacitance. And don't even HOPE to see a display on Inductance...

tigris said...

Can you connect me to the help desk please?

Surgical sutures or bolts?

J— said...

they have a Resistance Museum

I saw that and withstood the urge to click. I'm so proud of myself!

J— said...

Middle picture, far left in the middle. That one's got tassels for hip shakin' the cold away.

guitarist manqué said...

Many of these (including j--'s favorite) show the use of dangerous bleaching products. Proving that if the tundra don't get ya then the whitening will.

Substance McGravitas said...

Substance McGravitas goes on about his Biodiversity Museum but it has nothing on the Rasmussen Collection.

You silly bugger you want the anthropology museum. Christ, one step forward two steps baculum.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Has everyone been banned yet?

And if not...
~

Smut Clyde said...

they have a Resistance Museum

On display outside it is this homemade armoured frite stall.

mikey said...

I tried to explain to the nice gentlemen from the transit police that it was Cantonese Opera Underwear and I was on my way to the Cantonese Opera, but they seemed to have little appreciation for the fine arts...

Smut Clyde said...

No magic Mormon underwear in Substance's museum. Whadda rip-off.
On second thoughts do not rip off magic Mormon underwear.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Australian sex practices are kinda weird.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

First of all, I first read this entry title as "The Wonder of thundra," and I was like. "Awwwww. So sweet."

Second of all,

I forgot to mention the Novelty Condom cabinet:



Is Smut trying to tell us he has claspers?

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Smut Clyde is an ambisexual walnut.

Vonnie said...

My birthday is in October.
I'll take one of each.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Is Smut trying to tell us he has claspers?

He's hung like a shark.

Smut Clyde said...

This is normal in New Zealand.

Kathleen said...

spider panties for the summer

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

This is normal in New Zealand.

If your boats were more seaworthy, shark attacks would be less of a problem.