Musket c. 1637 - 1688

This is a musket made by Jan Knoop, sometime between 1615 and 1688. It is a relic of a time when Dutch trade and power extended across the globe. In the 17th century, firearms like this one were not just tools of war. They were symbols of authority and control, intimately tied to the expansion of European empires and the subjugation of indigenous populations. They were used for colonial expansion, suppressing resistance, and enforcing unequal trade agreements. These weapons were, undeniably, instruments of violence, and were wielded within societies deeply structured by gender, class, and race. Consider the hands that would have held this musket: soldiers, merchants, and colonists, all of whom were implicated in the project of empire. The history of this musket is therefore inseparable from the history of colonialism, and from the narratives of those whose lives were irrevocably changed by its presence. This is something to reflect on.