Vibeke Maria Viestad

• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Wintjes, Justine (2026). Teaching Through Making: |xam and !xun Material Culture of the Bleek and Lloyd Collection. Museum Anthropology. ISSN 0892-8339. 50(1). doi: 10.1111/muan.70045. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  ABSTRACT Kirby in 1952. A note in the accession register ties the items into the context of the renowned ‘Bushman researches’ of Wilhelm Bleek and Lucy Lloyd in Cape Town in the 1870s and 1880s, an unusual cross‐cultural collaboration with a small group of |xam‐ and !xun‐speaking people against the backdrop of the extreme oppression of San peoples across the southern African region. These objects represent a rare instance of historical material culture of San (‘Bushman’) origin in museum collections being associated with named persons or specific communities of origin. We examine them according to object type—spoon, head ornament, firestick, plaything, arrow and bullroarer—to assess their provenance and approach them ‘biographically’, exploring their community origins and coming into being as specific things, and their being gifted to Kirby by Wilhelm's daughter, Dorothea Bleek. Our ‘relocation’, documentation and contextualization of the Bleek‐Kirby collection enables some of the material linkages to be restored, complementing the better‐known narratives, making the case for the objects as active participants in the conversations, and enriching understanding of the Bleek and Lloyd Collection as a whole. We examine the significant cultural know‐how embedded in these objects and emphasize the creative agency of the |xam and !xun people—|hanǂkass'o, !nanni, Tamme among others—as primary authors and producers of knowledge within the broader intellectual project. The bullroarers in particular reveal some of the affordances of this detailed work, assisted by the ongoing digitization and digital curation of the archive.

• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Rust, Renée (2025). In the cover of the kaross: the initiation of San hunter-gatherers and the role of dressing the part, with examples from rock paintings in the Western Cape, South Africa. Southern African Humanities. ISSN 1681-5564. 38, p. 65–99. doi: https:/www.sahumanities.org/index.php/sah/article/view/528. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the Kalahari San ethnographies of the 20th century, the kaross has often been associated with adult women and their work as mothers and gatherers. From around the 1970s the large skin cloak, made from the full skin of a big game antelope, was noticed to be of significance in many South African rock paintings that are associated with the Southern San of the past. The kaross has since become a point of reference in interpretations of imagery associated with shamanic experiences evoked by trance and altered states of consciousness as well as the possible representations of communal initiation rites of young hunters. In this paper we discuss a set of images from a rock shelter in the Western Cape that we suggest are renderings of the latter and we support the argument by outlining the cultural complexity and various uses of the kaross within traditional San hunter-gatherer communities. The kaross, understood to overcome the apparent separation between male and female spheres in ritual and daily life, imbued many meanings to different people—a realization that should be of consequence also when we aim to interpret its presence on the rock face.

• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Ninkova, Velina (2025). !’Hurasi – Ju|’hoansi tortoise shell containers from the past and present in Omaheke, Namibia. Journal of material culture. ISSN 1359-1835. 30(3), p. 241–268. doi: 10.1177/13591835251340927. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  “This little thing of ours”—beautifully ornamented tortoise shell containers filled with fragrant powdered herbs and plants—comprises an important part of Ju|’hoansi cultural practice in contemporary Omaheke, Namibia. Used for various purposes associated with potency and protection, the !’hurasi can be found back in time and throughout space, in the Kalahari ethnographies, ethnographic artifact collections, myths, narratives, and rock art, but it has seldom received any scholarly attention. In this article, we aim to document how aspects of a distinct San material culture are still made, used, and engaged with in the western Kalahari today, in ways that would, despite the popular belief in a general loss of traditions and ancestral knowledge in the area, be recognizable and meaningful for members of the ancestral communities a hundred years ago. Both ethnographic sources and present-day documentation strongly suggest, we argue, that the !’hurasi represents a continuation in practice, linking the Omaheke Ju|’hoansi with important San ontological concepts, and that they have played an important role in the preservation, resilience, and development of modern Ju|’hoan culture. In a first-of-its-kind study of San tortoise shell containers, the research data that form the empirical ground of our argument is gathered from ethnographic field work among Ju|’hoansi communities in Omaheke in 2022, as well as through archival studies in the ethnographic artifact collection of the Museum Africa in Johannesburg.

• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2024). Body Modifications among San Hunter-Gatherers: A Relational Practice. In Manni, Franz & d'Errico, Francesco (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Body Modification. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780197573433. doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197572528.013.28. Full text in Research Archive
• Rasmussen, Josephine Munch & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2022). The Art of Admitting to Shortcomings. Critical Arts. ISSN 0256-0046. doi: 10.1080/02560046.2022.2125026. Full text in Research Archive
• Rasmussen, Josephine Munch & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Curation by the Living Dead: Exploring the Legacy of Norwegian Museums’ Colonial Collections. Critical Arts. ISSN 0256-0046. 35(4), p. 63–83. doi: 10.1080/02560046.2021.1979064. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  While the history of Norwegian museum acquisitions and collection formation has long been a topic of research, the extent to which colonial structures are still embedded in various Norwegian collecting institutions is seldom addressed. In this paper, we discuss the legacy of colonial collections in Norway through two case studies; Inge Heiberg’s collection of Congo ethnographica in various exhibitions at the University of Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History from the early 1900s to the present; and the Norwegian Kon-Tiki Museum’s initiative to repatriate human remains and other material excavated by Thor Heyerdahl on Rapa Nui in the 1950s. Presenting two cases that have been promoted as attempts at decolonisation – apparent “best practice” scenarios – we ask how the collections of Heiberg and Heyerdahl are used in current research and representations, and discuss whether the exhibiting and repatriation of the collections represent a continuation of, rather than break from colonial museum practice. We argue that attempts to revise current exhibition practices and research agendas prove consistently difficult. We conclude that in their very different ways, the cases illustrate that museums are effectively trapped in their collections. Heyerdahl and Heiberg still have the privilege of being curators of their collections.

• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2020). Kle deg, menneske! Arr - Idéhistorisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0802-7005. p. 3–15. Full text in Research Archive

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• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2023). Living with the Dead. How we care for the deceased. Reaktion Books. ISBN 9781789147681. 240 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Lindholm, Helena (2021). Hva er et menneske? Den utrolige historien om hvordan vi ble oss og hvorfor de andre menneskeartene forsvant. Cappelen Damm AS. ISBN 9788202680602. 101 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2021). Dødeboka. Livet med døden. Spartacus. ISBN 9788243012431. 215 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke (2018). Dress as Social Relations. An Interpretation of Bushman Dress. Wits University Press. ISBN 9781776141913. 191 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Wintjes, Justine & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2024). 'The following Bushman items': reconnecting the Bleek-Kirby collection at Wits Art Museum. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2024). ARV - Vår plass i historien: en anmeldelse. Primitive tider. ISSN 1501-0430. p. 123–131. doi: 10.5617/pt.12099. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Rust, Renee (2024). The Kaross and the Hunter. The initiation of San hunter-gatherers and the role of dressing the part. Examples from rock paintings in Western Cape, South Africa. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). The Origin of the World. Creation and transformation in San dress, narrative and rock art. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). The Origin of the World. Exhibition guided tour. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). The Origin of the World. Creation and Transformation in San dress, narrative and rock art. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). Body Modifications among San Hunter-Gatherers: a relational practice. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). The Origin of the World. Creation and transformation in San dress, narrative and rock art. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Ninkova, Velina (2023). !'Hurasi - Ju|'hoansi tortoise shell containers from past and present in the Omaheke, Namibia. Full text in Research Archive
• Gulbrandsen, Christine & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2023). Forskning på klær kan gi nytt syn på sanfolkets bergmalerier. [Internet]. Det humanistiske fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2022). Dressed to Rock: The significance of personal ornamentation among past San communities and its representation in the South African rock art. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2022). Dress and Non-dress in the Hunter-gatherer Rock Art of South Africa. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Ninkova, Velina (2022). !’Hurasi – Ju/’hoansi beaded tortoise shell boxes from past and present in the Omaheke, Namibia. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Ninkova, Velina (2022). San tortoise-shell boxes, past and present. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Gribbene gjør jobben. [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Gravrøvere og dårlig whiskey. [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Kompostering av lik og bærekraftige "death suits". [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Den"vanlige hvite" kisten og norsk muslimsk praksis. [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Wintjes, Justine (2021). A tale of three aprons. Seen, Heard and Valued. WAM Celebrates 40 Years of the Standard Bank African Art Collection.. Wits Art Museum. ISSN 9781990971990. p. 164–175. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Plastlik og Norges egen mumie. [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Enehaug, Monica Nordanger & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Arkeologi på rappen 4 - 2: Monica Enehaug. [Radio]. Arkeologi på rappen. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Andreas & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Dødepodden: Fantasikister og andre kister. [Radio]. Dødepodden. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2021). En bok om livet med døden. [Radio]. NRK Holm. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). - Jeg pleide å gjøre unna leksene på mandag slik at jeg hadde resten av uka til egne prosjekter. [Journal]. Romerikes blad. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2021). Vandring på Nordre Gravlund. [Radio]. NRK Ekko. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Arkeolog Vibeke Maria Viestad med bok om menneskets historie: - Vår evne til innovasjon vil redde oss. [Journal]. Avisa Oslo. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Alle barn vil blir arkeolog. [Journal]. Nordre Aker Budstikke. Full text in Research Archive
• Rasmussen, Josephine Munch & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Colonial re-enactment? Two Museums’ Attempts of Decolonisation and Repatriation. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). "Hva er et menneske?" - Og hvordan kan vi formidle det til barn? Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2021). Dødeboka. [Radio]. NRK Nyhetsmorgen. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Viestad, Andreas (2021). Bor midt i Gravlunden. [TV]. God Morgen Norge. Full text in Research Archive
• Amanda, Esterhuysen & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2021). Re-thinking the Curatorial—Interrogating Old Practices and New Efforts in Colonial Collections and Archives. Critical Arts. ISSN 0256-0046. doi: 10.1080/02560046.2021.2004434. Full text in Research Archive
• Fredriksen, Caroline & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2020). Arkeologi på rappen 3-6: Caroline Fredriksen om pløyelagsfunn. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria; Korsvoll, Nils Hallvard & Rasmussen, Josephine Munch (2020). Tæring i museet. Full text in Research Archive
• Braovac, Susan & Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2020). Arkeologi på rappen 3-4: Susan Braovac on Saving Oseberg and cross-disciplinary research (podcast). [Radio]. Primitive tider Arkeologi på rappen 3-4. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2019). Debunking the colonial myth of the ‘naked Bushman’. The Conversation. ISSN 2201-5639. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria (2019). From ‘True specimens’ to ‘Naked brown people’ – A Century of representing ‘Bushmen’ in Cape Town, South Africa. Fortid. ISSN 1504-1913. 1. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Rasmussen, Josephine Munch (2019). Unchanging Exhibitions and Noble Acts of Repatriation: Exploring the Legacy of Norwegian Museums’ Colonial Collections. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Haanæs, Øystein Rygg (2018). Arkeolog knuser myten om nakne buskmenn. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke Maria & Haanæs, Øystein Rygg (2018). Archaeologist debunks the myth of “the nearly naked Bushmen”. [Internet]. Department of Archaeology, Conversation and History, UiO. Full text in Research Archive
• Viestad, Vibeke (2015). Smykker – Ta det personlig Anmeldelse av "Smykker. Personlig pynt i kulturhistorisk lys. 2015. Marianne Vedeler og Ingunn Marit Røstad (red.). Museumsforlaget." og "Ta det personlig. Historier om personlig utsmykning. Utstilling ved Kulturhistorisk museum i Oslo, 12. juni 2015 – 1. juni 2016.". Primitive tider. ISSN 1501-0430. Full text in Research Archive

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