By 2003, tribal repatriation offices were in place, and museum's registrars and curators were versed in and implementing NAGPRA. Calls to the Repatriation Foundation became intermittent, auction houses consigned items with care, and world-wide repatriation demands bolstered the repatriation of American Indian ceremonial materials in the United States. In one decade much was accomphished.
Some dealers and auction houses though aware that the sale of certain items is sacrilegious to American Indians nevertheless continue to participate in this lucrative business. Repatraition provides opportunities yielding greater rewards than financial gain; the participation in the re-culturalization of a people who have suffered from five centuries of cultural genocide is but one.
Some anthropologists argue that it will never again be possible to assemble a comprehensive American Indian collection. To them I ask: which is more important an all-inclusive collection or the continuation of the lifeways of a living culture?
How long will repatriation take? Perhaps forever. Each return must be done with diligence, care, and respect. The process is ardious but museums and Native Nations are underway.
The Repatriation Foundation continues its fight for ethical standards in the art market and supports the struggle of American Indians to continue their spiritual lifeways.
It is my hope that by keeping the electronic flow of information available here, we will continue to participate in the repatriation movement.
[1] Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
[2] For additional information see the "Introduction" by Suzan Harjo in Mending the Circle: A Native American Repatriation Guide (New York: American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation, 1996) which can be downloaded online, here. If used as a source, please site the foundation and the title and publishing information.
[3] Buyer Vows to Return Masks to Indians," New York Times, May 22, 1991, C11.
