Repatriation

The U.S. Repatriation Foundation (http://www.repatriationfoundation.org/) is  described as an Intercultural Partnership: it is a “non-federally funded, not-for-profit organization committed to the repatriation of American Indian ceremonial material.” The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act “requires federally funded institutions to repatriate ceremonial material, cultural patrimony, human remains, and associated grave goods”. Although it does not apply to the private sector, it seems to have had some influence in that sector. There is no such legislation in Canada, but there are examples of successful repatriation reached through negotiation: see http://thewalrus.ca/grave-injustice/ and http://moa.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/TeachingKit-Repatriation.pdf

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *