Forgotten mummies. Reflections on the management of human remains exhibits in Ecuadorean museums.

Summary

This paper will address the role of the human remains collections in Ecuadorian archaeological museums through the comparison between the case of the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden Holland and three Ecuadorian museums: the National Museum, the Sumpa Lovers museum and the Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño museums. This comparison will be done on the basis of archaeological ethical practice in regards to human remains and the experience and points of view of the museum personnel that work with these collections. These results are considered within the framework of international codes of ethics and treatment of human remains in museum collections, as are being discussed at present in the USA, UK and international associations such as the SAA and ICOMOS. The objectives of this paper are to present case studies using management practices of Andean human remains in collections and exhibitions, encourage discussion on the subject in archaeology and anthropology museums in Ecuador and assess the need for national policies and professional standards for the regulation of the work with human remains, beyond their analysis and conservation.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Current Perspectives in Ecuadorian Archaeology

Keywords

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