<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/05/manchester-museum-hands-back-objects-to-indigenous-australian-anindilyakwa>
"A UK museum is returning more than 174 objects to an Indigenous Australian
community in what is a being hailed as a landmark example of cultural
repatriation.
Manchester Museum’s return of the objects is significant because repatriation
projects normally revolve around sacred or ceremonial items. Often the objects
are considered stolen or were taken in shocking circumstances.
In this case, Manchester is returning everyday objects with a more mundane
backstory. They include dolls made from shells, baskets, fishing spears,
boomerangs, armbands and a map made from turtle shells, all being sent back to
the Anindilyakwa community, who live on an archipelago in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Australia.
The expectation is that the objects will be used strengthen and revitalise
Anindilyakwa culture, to help teach new generations the cultural history of
their people.
“We believe this is the future of museums,” said Esme Ward, the director of
Manchester Museum. “This is how we should be.”
She emphasised that she was not telling other museums what they should do with
their collections, “but if people are inspired by our commitment to build
relationships, that would be great.”
Many organisations, including Unesco, hope the project will be a model for
other museums to follow. Krista Pikkat, Unesco’s director for culture and
emergencies, was in Manchester on Tuesday for the formal handing over of the
objects."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
