Germany just returned two indigenous masks to Colombia, but once treated them with toxic pesticides, making them a health risk

Germany has returned two sacred masks, purchased from the indigenous Kogi people of Colombia, to the country’s leader. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called the move “a rethink in how we deal with our colonial past” during a ceremony in Berlin on Friday with Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

But masks can pose health risks to anyone who wears them as intended, according to a report in the Guardianindicating that, while kept in ethnological collections in Berlin, artifacts made of organic materials like these were regularly sprayed with pesticides that can cause breathing difficulties and are suspected of causing cancer.

German ethnologist Konrad Theodor Preuss bought the 15th century masks of the family of a Kogi priest who died in 1915 for the collection of the Ethnological Museum of the Berlin State Museums.

« The Kalguakala [masks] are of total importance to us because they are sacred,” said Arregocés Conchacala Zalabata, a Kogi representative. “They are not a historical artifact; they are alive. With the masks we hold ceremonies to connect and work with the spirit of the sun, the waters, the mountains and the many species of the world.

THE Guardian revealed that during the 19th and 20th centuries, the container holding the masks was regularly sprayed with the disinfectant and pesticide 1,4-dichlorobenzene. While Rudolf Parzinger, chairman of the Prussian Cultural Foundation, said the masks were “detoxified”, he added: “We still have doubts where they can be worn directly in front of the face.”

Such objects are never truly harmless after being treated with these chemicals, said Stefan Simon, director of the Rathgen Research Laboratory, an institute linked to Berlin’s state museums. Guardian.

Unfortunately, Zalabata, the Kogi representative, told the Guardian that no one had warned his community of the danger of contamination by pesticides linked to wearing a mask.

“We will continue to use them,” he said.

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