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micdalli's review against another edition
4.0
Almost hidden in the back of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, off of a scenic atrium behind the wildlife halls, is an unassuming doorway with a sign above it: North American Indian Cultures. Inside this exhibit, next to the story of Tlingit Potlaches, a short video runs on a constant loop. It shows a repatriation ceremony conducted when a ceremonial Killer Whale Hat was returned to the Tlingit tribe. Its return had been requested by the Tlingit tribe, under NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
This book, by Chip Colwell, the Senior Curator of Anthropology at DMNS, chronicles the journey of the sacred objects in the museum’s collection - how they left the tribes and entered the possession of collectors, how they ended up in the museum’s collection, and how, through NAGPRA, they were repatriated to the tribes who hold them sacred. Colwell focuses on four case studies from the museum: Zuni War Gods, a scalp taken from a Cheyenne or Arapaho at the Sand Creek Massacre, the Tlingit Killer Whale Hat, and skulls from the Calusa, a Florida tribe that anthropologists consider to be extinct. Each case study raises new, thorny questions about the repatriation process, allowing us to see the issues from different angles. The book is written for the general public.
Colwell not only talks about the history of NAGPRA and how tribes and the DMNS interpret it, but he asks some difficult questions: who owns these artifacts? Are they owned by tribes, or are they owned by all Americans as part of our shared heritage? Should museums hold on to these pieces so that they can continue their anthropological studies, allowing us to learn more about the indigenous past? Should they indefinitely keep them in storage while we wait for more advanced scientific methods of analysis to be developed? Should they keep them because they are legally theirs? Or should they be kept on display so that museum visitors can learn about America’s indigenous cultures?
Perhaps the most interesting part of this book is the history of how the artifacts came to the museum in the first place. Some were sold by desperate, poverty-striken tribal members almost a century ago. Some were stolen. Others were dug up by anthropologists. A few fell into the hands of major Indian art collectors and were bequeathed to the museum. I found this to be an interesting “behind the scenes” look at DMNS and museum collections in general. At times the story gets maddening, with delays, conflicts and misunderstandings marring the repatriation process.
A few times the book does delve into legal maneuvering to get NAGPRA passed and the new protocols that DMNS and other museums put into place to honor NAGPRA, often through trial and error. Unfortunately these parts of the book get a little dry. Colwell also mentions far too many names in these parts, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. Push through those sections though and you’ll be left with a fascinating story about sacred objects, NAGPRA, DMNS, anthropologists and the American Indians they study, and how NAGPRA led to more than just repatriation of artifacts - how relationships were built and evolved between scientists and tribal members.
Colwell won the Colorado Book Award for this effort, and it is well deserved.
A little further past the Potlach exhibit and the looping repatriation ceremony video, in a display case next to a life-sized recreation of a Navajo hogan, are two hooks that no longer hold an artifact. In it’s place is a sign: “This headdress has been repatriated to the Apache tribe.” This, along with the book, serve as reminders that these tribes still live today, and are doing whatever they can to ensure that their culture survives, with the help of NAGPRA and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
This book, by Chip Colwell, the Senior Curator of Anthropology at DMNS, chronicles the journey of the sacred objects in the museum’s collection - how they left the tribes and entered the possession of collectors, how they ended up in the museum’s collection, and how, through NAGPRA, they were repatriated to the tribes who hold them sacred. Colwell focuses on four case studies from the museum: Zuni War Gods, a scalp taken from a Cheyenne or Arapaho at the Sand Creek Massacre, the Tlingit Killer Whale Hat, and skulls from the Calusa, a Florida tribe that anthropologists consider to be extinct. Each case study raises new, thorny questions about the repatriation process, allowing us to see the issues from different angles. The book is written for the general public.
Colwell not only talks about the history of NAGPRA and how tribes and the DMNS interpret it, but he asks some difficult questions: who owns these artifacts? Are they owned by tribes, or are they owned by all Americans as part of our shared heritage? Should museums hold on to these pieces so that they can continue their anthropological studies, allowing us to learn more about the indigenous past? Should they indefinitely keep them in storage while we wait for more advanced scientific methods of analysis to be developed? Should they keep them because they are legally theirs? Or should they be kept on display so that museum visitors can learn about America’s indigenous cultures?
Perhaps the most interesting part of this book is the history of how the artifacts came to the museum in the first place. Some were sold by desperate, poverty-striken tribal members almost a century ago. Some were stolen. Others were dug up by anthropologists. A few fell into the hands of major Indian art collectors and were bequeathed to the museum. I found this to be an interesting “behind the scenes” look at DMNS and museum collections in general. At times the story gets maddening, with delays, conflicts and misunderstandings marring the repatriation process.
A few times the book does delve into legal maneuvering to get NAGPRA passed and the new protocols that DMNS and other museums put into place to honor NAGPRA, often through trial and error. Unfortunately these parts of the book get a little dry. Colwell also mentions far too many names in these parts, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. Push through those sections though and you’ll be left with a fascinating story about sacred objects, NAGPRA, DMNS, anthropologists and the American Indians they study, and how NAGPRA led to more than just repatriation of artifacts - how relationships were built and evolved between scientists and tribal members.
Colwell won the Colorado Book Award for this effort, and it is well deserved.
A little further past the Potlach exhibit and the looping repatriation ceremony video, in a display case next to a life-sized recreation of a Navajo hogan, are two hooks that no longer hold an artifact. In it’s place is a sign: “This headdress has been repatriated to the Apache tribe.” This, along with the book, serve as reminders that these tribes still live today, and are doing whatever they can to ensure that their culture survives, with the help of NAGPRA and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
ahoy_v's review against another edition
5.0
For anyone who has asked themselves "why does repatriation matter?" or who doesn't disagree when Indiana Jones says, "it belongs in a museum!"
Chip Colwell provides an important account on why repatriation is not antagonistic to science and why it is morally correct. Through personal accountings of 4 repatriation cases, Colwell gives a highly readable and deeply researched history of the plundering, display, and repatriation process. Ultimately he shows how the process of repatriation, first by meeting with Native American tribes and relinquishing control can foster even greater collaboration and be a bridge between cultures.
Chip Colwell provides an important account on why repatriation is not antagonistic to science and why it is morally correct. Through personal accountings of 4 repatriation cases, Colwell gives a highly readable and deeply researched history of the plundering, display, and repatriation process. Ultimately he shows how the process of repatriation, first by meeting with Native American tribes and relinquishing control can foster even greater collaboration and be a bridge between cultures.
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