In broadest terms, repatriation refers to the process of returning someone or something to its nation of origin. In Native America, the acquisition of objects that originally were possessed by Indigenous people began immediately after the first Europeans entered the North American continent. The first efforts to repatriate cultural objects were initiated in the 1890s. This case concerned wampum belts owned by the Six Nations Confederacy, which includes the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Tuscarora, and Seneca. Some of the wampum belts were returned, but this process actually continued well into the 1960s.

The concerted effort to protect Native American graves and to repatriate human remains began in Iowa 1971. A historical cemetery was discovered during a road construction project, and the aftermath initiated new legislation. The Iowa reburial statute of 1976 ordered that in similar cases the human remains should be treated respectfully and those should be reburied. This statute inspired 27 other states to enact similar protective laws by 1990. In addition, federal repatriation legislation advanced during the 1980s. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was enacted into law in 1990, and according to it, federal museums were required to repatriate objects that were culturally affiliated with federally recognized tribes.

One of the best examples of possible problems surrounding repatriation and contradictory interpretations concerning cultural affiliation is the case of the Ancient One, or the Kennewick Man. Remains of a skeleton were discovered on the bank of Columbia River in Washington state in 1996. The local Colville, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Wanapum, and Yakima tribes claimed the remains to rebury them and the scientists aimed at researching the remains.

The debate focused on the origins of the skeleton and who ultimately had the right to determine the skeleton’s fate. The Colville, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Wanapum, and Yakima tribes turned to oral tradition and researchers justified their actions in the name of science. Finally, the studies revealed that the remains belonged to the Native American Indian heritage, and the skeleton was returned to the tribes for a reburial in 2016.

Recently there has occurred a similar case in Australia as well. The remains of so called Mungo Man were discovered in Mungo National Park in south-west New South Wales in 1974. They were taken to the Australian National University in Canberra for a research and returned to the Indigenous Australian Mutthi Mutthi, Ngiyampaa and Paakantji / Barkandji communities on November 17, 2017. Indigenous Australians have campaigned for years to obtain the remains back, and they held a ceremony to celebrate the occasion.

Both the case of the Ancient One and the case of Mungo Man reveal the fact that despite all attempts to protect indigenous heritage the scientific interest seems to overrule the rights of indigenous peoples. Ironically, the scientific research of the Ancient One revealed only that the claims of Native American Indian tribes were justified.

These cases raise also broader questions concerning, firstly, the general right to gain knowledge and to study ancient objects, and, secondly, the question of who ultimately has the right to conduct a scientific research on these objects. A scientific research concerning indigenous peoples should always be conducted in a co-operation with the representatives of the tribes and communities in question, and scientists should allow indigenous peoples to express their opinions on the theme of research and respect these opinions when they plan research projects. Moreover, indigenous peoples possess a great amount of knowledge that might be valuable for scientists, and this knowledge should not be neglected.

References:

Andersson, Rani-Henrik & Markku Henriksson 2010. Intiaanit – Pohjois-Amerikan alkuperäiskansojen historia. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.

Buikstra, Jane 2006. “History of Research in Skeletal Biology” In Handbook of North American Indians, edited by Douglas H. Ubelaker, 504–23. Vol. 3. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

McKeown, C. Timothy 2008. “Repatriation.” In Handbook of North American Indians, edited by Garrick A. Bailey, 427–37. Vol. 2. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.

Electronical sources:

Colwell, Chip. “What Has the Ancient One’s Epic Journey Taught Us?” Counterpunch. January 02, 2017. https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/01/03/what-has-the-ancient-ones-epic-journey-taught-us/.

Higgins, Isabella. “Mungo Man returned to ancestral home where he died 40,000 years ago.” ABC News. November 17, 2017. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-17/mungo-man-returned-to-ancestral-home/9159840.

“Mungo Man: Australia’s oldest remains taken to ancestral home.” BBC News. November 17, 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-42020675.