The Ontology of the Archaeological Object: African Perspectives and Implications for Nigerian Museum Practice

Dominant ontological assumptions in Western museum practice construct the archaeological object as a bounded, stable entity whose significance is primarily informational and whose value is fixed by provenance, material composition, and aesthetic character. These assumptions are challenged by African cosmological traditions in which objects maintain active relational identities, accumulate power through use and social attention, and whose separation from their communities of origin constitutes a form of ontological violence rather than neutral preservation. This dissertation develops an original philosophical and practical framework for Nigerian museum practice grounded in African ontological perspectives on material objects, engaging with Igbo, Yoruba, Benin, and Hausa-Fulani object ontologies as intellectually serious starting points for reimagining collection management, interpretation, and repatriation in Nigerian institutions. The study's theoretical programme draws on African philosophy, new materialist theory, and ontological turn scholarship in social anthropology to construct a framework termed relational object custodianship that specifies how collection management decisions, interpretive practices, and community engagement protocols should differ when the active relational character of heritage objects is taken seriously. The practical programme applies this framework to fifteen case studies drawn from collections at the National Museum Lagos, the National Museum Benin, and the Jos Museum, analysing current practice and proposing specific alternative approaches in each case. The dissertation makes a contribution to ontological turn debates in archaeology by grounding them in specifically African philosophical traditions, and a contribution to Nigerian museum practice by translating ontological theory into actionable institutional guidance. Keywords: object ontology, African philosophy, Nigerian museums, relational custodianship, museum practice.