Thursday, November 7, 2024

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

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Wendy Boham, Wereldmuseum, Leiden, Netherlands Navigating Dutch Colonial Legacy: Repatriation within Ethnographic Museum collections. In 2020, the Dutch Council of Culture released "Colonial Collection and Recognition of Injustice" offering clear guidelines for the ethical management of colonial artifacts. These guidelines became integral to the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science's Policy vision on colonial collections by January 2021, marking a significant stride towards addressing historical injustices. Central to this policy is the acknowledgment of source countries' rights to request the return of colonial objects. Restitution decisions concerning objects from the State Collection are delegated to the State Secretary, facilitated by the independent Colonial Collections Committee. These state collections often form vital components of ethnographic museums in the Netherlands, underscoring museums' dedication to assisting in managing and addressing restitution claims. Registrars of Dutch ethnographic museums play an important role in this process. They are tasked with documenting and tracking colonial objects within museum collections. Working closely with curators, provenance researchers, conservators, and relevant authorities, to ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards. The registrar contributes to the execution of restitution decisions, facilitating the transfer of objects back to their source countries. The restitution process shares similarities with a loan procedure, but operates with unique dynamics that demand collaboration among all parties involved. It's important to note that the handling of restitution isn't one-sided or solely driven by the perspectives of former colonial powers. Instead, it relies equally on the viewpoints, desires, and expectations of source countries. In this contribution, I will share my experiences with restitution, providing practical insights for registrars navigating similar terrain. to be followed by Yvonne Brownlee, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, United Kingdom Reshaping Heritage: Law, Logistics, and Learning from the Ni'isjoohlMemorial Pole's Rematriation In late 2023, National Museums Scotland and the Nisga’a Nation undertook the immense task of returning an 11-meter-high totem pole, weighing over 1 tonne, from Edinburgh to the Nass Valley in Northwest Canada. Now on display in the Nisga’a Museum, the Ni'isjoohl Memorial Pole is the first cultural belonging to be legally transferred out of Scotland’s National collections for the purposes of rematriation. This presentation reflects on the application of UK law as well the practical considerations of returning collections to countries of origin. I will explore how National Museums Scotland worked with the context and restrictions of UK law, the logistical challenges of moving a totem pole of this size, as well as the cultural sensitivities that informed and changed our processes for the better. Moderator: Jen Kaines, Head of Collection Services, Royal Armouries and President UKRG, United Kingdom

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