On the trail of the reindeer. A Tale of Northern Cultures | Czestochowa
Exhibition from the collections of the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków.
In the far North, animals set the rhythm of people's lives. One of the most important was the reindeer. It served as a means of transport, provided food and skins with fur for making the clothing necessary for survival. In many northern communities, journeys with herds to summer and winter pastures, an individual's social position, the family's standard of living and even marriage depended on the reindeer. The Ewen, the herders of the tundra, used to say: ‘There is a ren - there is an Ewen, there is no ren - there is no Ewen’.
The exhibition 'On the trail of the reindeer. A Tale of Northern Cultures. An exhibition from the collections of the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków' takes us into the world of the tundra of the northern reaches of Europe, Asia and America. Unique objects give voice to the Saami (Sampi), Nenets, Ewenes, Chukchi and Aleuts (Unangan) - the hosts of the polar regions. The story is supplemented by the biographies and achievements of the newcomers: Izydor Sobański, Benedykt Dybowski and Konstanty Podhorski - it is thanks to them that things have survived which resound with the stories of long ago. Different traditions, distant cultures and intricate biographies have been joined forever by the northern world and the museum collection.
On the trail of the reindeer. A Tale of Northern Cultures.
Exhibition from the collection of the Ethnographic Museum in Krakow.
17 May - 21 September 2025.
Czestochowa Museum
47 NMP Avenue
42-217 Czestochowa
Exhibition opening: 17 May, 7 pm
Curator: Jacek Kukuczka (MEK)
Curator: Agnieszka Ciuk-Koćwin (MCz)
Exhibition arrangement and graphic design: Matylda Ślosarska (MCz)
Texts: Jacek Kukuczka
Proofreading: Anna Kowalczyk, Katarzyna Jezierska (MCz)
Descriptions and interpretations of objects: Andrzej Dybczak, Jacek Kukuczka
Photographs in the exhibition: Andrzej Dybczak, Jacek Kukuczka
Films: Andrzej Dybczak
Photographs of objects: Marcin Jędrysiak, Anna Tarko, Marcin Wąsik (MEK)
Conservation care: Agata Barczyńska, Katarzyna Mazurek-Lebowska, Renata Palka, Katarzyna Wilaszek-Rozwadowska (MEK)
Digitisation and compilation of object register: Natalia Ciemborowicz-Luber (MEK)
Promotion: Piotr Bujakiewicz, Joanna Grabeus, Maria Suska (MEK)
Exhibition montage: Dorota Kozłowska, Zbigniew Derda, Maciej Matyja (MCz)
Exhibition co-organiser:
