Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution

Part of: Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution," at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Calls are increasing globalul for cultural restitution and the repatriation of Ancestral remains and cultural heritage items. Archaeological and collecting institutions have recently seen upward swings in the return across Europe of objects looted from the kingdom of Benin, for example, and of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Ancestors and items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in the United States. This session explores restitution and the repatriation of such Ancestors and cultural items from a global perspective, as well as the repatriation of lesser-discussed materials such as biological samples, archaeological and other archives, and knowledge itself. Widening the repatriation discussion to include international frameworks and uncommon “materials” provides opportunities to reimagine what repatriation looks like in practice and to what and whom it applies. The session will include a designated question-and-answer period in order to facilitate the expansion of this conversation.

Other Keywords
Repatriation • NAGPRA • Ceramics • Museums • decolonization • heritage • Knowledge • Indigeneity • international • restitution

Geographic Keywords
Pacific

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-6 of 6)

  • Documents (6)
Documents
  • Biological Samples are Subject to Repatriation: Using NAGPRA as an Example Framework (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Alyssa C. Bader. Aimée E. Carbaugh. Jenny L. Davis. Krystiana L. Krupa. Ripan S. Malhi.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Biological samples collected from the physical remains of Indigenous Ancestors have been regarded by institutions and researchers as an inanimate resource, independent of the individual from whom they were removed. These Ancestral samples are used in destructive archaeometric research such as...

  • Crossing Borders and Crossing Subdisciplines: Blurring the Lines Between Archaeological and Ethnographic Collections Within Museums for International Repatriation (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Sadie V. Counts.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. With the Smithsonian’s recent announcement on adopting a “new, ethical returns policy” for their institutions, they have opened up the door for further discussion about international Repatriation efforts from American museums and institutions, as these fall outside the purview of NAGPRA. Despite...

  • Institutionalizing Repatriation: Creating a More Inclusive University Policy (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jessica L. Yann.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. As part of ongoing NAGPRA compliance, Michigan State University recently drafted its first official NAGPRA policy. As part of the discussions surrounding the creation of this policy, two things became clear 1) that as a university, we are committed to “working collaboratively with Indigenous...

  • Interrupting The Pattern Of Privilege: Redressing Access Inequality Through The Repatriation Of Knowledge (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jayne-Leigh Thomas.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. For several decades, global repatriation efforts have focused primarily on the return of human remains and funerary items from archaeological contexts. A shift now has museums looking towards high profile items such as the Elgin Marbles and looted artifacts from Benin. Although immensely...

  • Re-think, Re-claim and Re-do: Unsettled Heritage Migration (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Rita Uju Onah.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The recent concern in Indigenous Archaeology is whether Heritage objects should be allowed to live and breathe among their family. A study for, by and with the Indigenous community should be able to recreate the best place for the communities, while some communities claim that their ancestors...

  • Restitution to Whom? Considerations Regarding Restitution to Indigenous Peoples of French Possessions (2023)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Christopher D. Green.

    This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. In 2014, the skull of the famous Kanak rebel, Chief Ataï, was restituted to the Kanak peoples by the French government. Since then, France has been at the center of international restitution debates, especially those in Benin, however less consideration has been given to restitution to...