The Association on American Indian Affairs (AAIA) is currently working on an International Repatriation Project. In attempting to address one of the first major problems that Native American communities in the United States face in international repatriation efforts, the AAIA is undertaking a study on Native American collections in European repositories. The goal of the project is to ultimately provide a central location for tribes to research international repositories. The project also hopes to help indigenous communities with contacts in international repositories for international repatriations and cultural revitalization efforts.
The International Repatriation Project is a collaborative project which is meant to bring indigenous communities together in a concerted effort to address this major issue in indigenous rights. These rights have been enumerated in international documents such as the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Because the United States just recently endorsed the UNDRIP, this is the best time for indigenous communities in the United States to advocate for international repatriation.
In Article 11, the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples specifically calls for the “right to practice and revitalize […] cultural traditions and customs” and asserts that “[s]tates shall provide redress through effective mechanisms, which may include restitution, developed in conjunction with indigenous peoples, with respect to their cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free, prior and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.” Article 12 further asserts that “[i]ndigenous peoples have […] the right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects [...] [and] the right to the repatriation of their human remains.” It also states that “[s]tates shall seek to enable the access and/or repatriation of ceremonial objects and human remains in their possession […].”
International Repatriation will be a long process for any indigenous community, but the more communities work together to help each other in the process through contacts and information, the easier the process will become. Some (though few) European museums are establishing international repatriation policies, particularly given the international repatriations that have occurred to indigenous communities in New Zealand and Australia. In other words, these museums are responding to the growing need they are facing and anticipating future international repatriations.
The International Repatriation Project, like so many other efforts, will need help and assistance to continue. The Association on American Indian Affairs would appreciate any help to keep the project going. Please contact Jack Trope, Executive Director of the Association on American Indian Affairs, at 240-314-7155 or jt.aaia@verizon.net for further information about how to donate or collaborate with the project.
