The National Museum of Finland launches a repatriation to Benin

“The return of the kataklé to Benin completes a historically significant repatriation, following the return of 26 items from France to Benin in 2021. We are now able to take concrete steps in our long-pending intention in cooperation with the cultural heritage authorities of Benin," Elina Anttila, Director General of the National Museum says. 

“Ownership of one’s cultural heritage is a fundamental value that we at the National Museum of Finland are committed to promote globally. The remarkable history of the kataklé exemplifies the invaluable significance of cultural property. The kataklé came to the National Museum of Finland as a result of a collection exchange with the Musée de l’Homme, France, and its story demonstrates the importance of long-term professional museum work. The fascinating history of the kataklé has been explored in cooperation with our colleagues in France and Benin,” Anttila explains.

The story of the kataklé 

The kataklé in the Finnish National Museum’s collection originates from the Kingdom of Dahomey, which was founded in the 17th century. The Kingdom was located in the territory on the present-day Republic of Benin. “Kataklé” refers to a three-legged stool. It was a ceremonial item symbolizing stability and power. The king had a larger throne, and the kataklé was used as a portable throne outside the palace. 

In the colonial wars of 1892–94, France conquered the Kingdom of Dahomey and annexed it into the French West Africa. In 1892, under the command of Colonel Dodds, who later became General, French forces looted 27 items from the King’s palace in Abomey, Dahomey’s capital, including three royal thrones, three sculptures depicting kings, two kataklés, four palace doors, and other valuables. At the time, King Béhanzin escaped the kingdom. 

The looted items were sent to the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadéro in Paris and later transferred to the Musée de l’Homme, which was opened in 1937. At the time, international museum exchanges were common with the purpose of presenting the world’s cultures as widely as possible, even from areas where the activities of one’s own country did not extend. The Musée de l’Homme and the National Museum of Finland executed the collection exchange in 1938–39, and the National Museum received 59 items from Africa, Asia, and Oceania. It is likely that the kataklé’s importance in Dahomey or its history as a looted item were not known in Finland. 

In November 2021, France returned 26 items to the Republic of Benin, which had been looted from Abomey in the early 1890s. Among them was one of the kataklés taken from the royal palace. However, the other kataklé remained missing. Following further investigations, it was identified as part of the 1939 exchange collection transferred to Finland from the Musée de l’Homme, initiating efforts to return the kataklé to Benin. 

Benin has made an official request to the Finnish government for the return of the kataklé. The National Museum of Finland has responded positively and is proceeding the return in accordance with official procedures. The decision has required comprehensive preparations, provenance research and collaboration with France, specifically with the Musée du Quai Branly, responsible for France’s non-European collections. The matter will be addressed during the visit of Benin’s Foreign Minister Olushegun Adjadi Bakari to Finland from November 4 to 5, 2024. The date for the repatriation has not yet been set. 

National Museum of Finland has made three significant repatriations in recent years  

The ownership and return of cultural heritage—whether in physical, digital, or other forms—to the descendants of the original owners is among the most topical issues in the international museum field. Both tangible and intangible cultural heritage are of immeasurable value to the identity, well-being, and continuity of individuals and communities. 

In recent years, the National Museum of Finland has completed three internationally recognized repatriations. 

In 2020, the National Museum returned burials and grave items from Mesa Verde, Colorado, to four native peoples in the USA. These items, gathered from the settlements of a culture that ceased around the 14th century, were collected by geologist and botanist Gustaf Nordenskiöld during his expedition in 1891. 

In autumn 2021, the museum returned around 2,200 Sámi artefacts from the national collections to Sámi Land, to the Sámi Museum Siida. 

In spring 2023, the National Museum of Finland returned two fragments from the power stone of the Ondonga Kingdom to the National Museum of Namibia. The fragments were originally held by the Finnish Mission Museum and transferred to the National Museum of Finland in 2015. The repatriation took place in connection with President Sauli Niinistö’s state visit to Namibia. 

The repatriation of the kataklé stool should not be confused with the discussions and repatriations concerning the so-called Benin Bronzes. The term refers to valuables looted from the Kingdom of Benin (formerly the Edo Kingdom), located in the present-day Nigeria, whereas the Kingdom of Dahomey, from which the kataklé originates, was located in the area of today’s Republic of Benin. 

Contacts: 

Elina Anttila, Director General, National Museum of Finland, tel. +358 (0)295 336 131, elina.anttila@kansallismuseo.fi. 

Pilvi Vainonen, Senior Researcher, Ethnographic Collections, National Museum of Finland, tel. +358 (0)295 336 432, pilvi.vainonen@kansallismuseo.fi 

Päivi Kukkamäki, Director of Marketing and Communications, National Museum of Finland and Finnish Heritage Agency, tel. +358 (0)295 336 181, paivi.kukkamaki@kansallismuseo.fi 

Interview requests, press photos: Communications Specialist Sanna Paakkanen, tel. +358 (0)295 336 200, sanna.paakkanen@kansallismuseo.fi