What happens when a museum object becomes an archival record through restitution? This is the question that inspired this contribution. I refer to the family Bible of Nama anti-colonial resistance fighter Captain Hendrik Witbooi (Auta !Nanseb, c. 1830-1905), which the state of Baden-Württemberg restituted to Namibia in February 2019. In Germany, the Bible had been part of the Linden Museum’s collection in Stuttgart. Following its restitution, the Bible was transferred to the Namibian National Archives, transforming it from a museum object into an archival record. This transformation, along with the overlaps between museological and archival restitution, are what I examine here.

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