Repatriation: The View From Here...

A week or so ago I posed you the question of repatriation and through BAJRFed you formed  a debate, thank you.  So now it is my turn, many will agree and many will not, but that is the beauty of archaeology.

Firstly I would like to make it clear that repatriation can be the answer, I am not anti it as a concept, but do worry about it being abused.  There are clear cut cases when Westerners have 'explored' countries around the world and in one way or another taken elements of their indigenous culture.  To many indigenous peoples these are not artefacts or objects of curiosity, they are their ancestors, their culture, their world.  As such they have every right to determine what happens next and I would encourage museums and archaeological units (where necessary) to work alongside indigenous groups to portray and protect their cultures and ancestors.

In Britain I feel the situation is different.  Our ancient peoples would not recognise any element of our modern lands, yes we have maintained monuments such as Stonehenge and many landscapes portray aspects of our ancient past.  However, religious philosophies are multiple, there are few who rely on the land for a livelihood and technology has changed what we prioritised.  As such deciding the fate of our ancient dead is complex.  We are unsure as to their views on life, death, afterlife, faith and much more.  To allow this understanding to grow museums, archaeologists, osteologists and many more try to piece together clues.  Finding a prehistoric structure is common, postholes, pits and ditches are well known within the archaeological record, however what does that tell us about people?  Not a great deal and there is nobody to ask, this makes the remains of our ancient dead essential to furthering our understanding of the life and death of the ancient man, woman and child.  Without studying human remains we would be unaware of how multi-cultural prehistoric societies were, how far people moved and how ideas we able to spread so rapidly in world without Facebook!  Now do not get me wrong I am not pro everyone going out to find themselves human remains to experiment on and I do not believe in exhuming the dead unless their burial place is at risk.  Many are found during commercial archaeology and I believe it is better for them to be exhumed than built upon and be forever forgotten.

Much of the reading I undertook for my essay pointed me in the direction of Pagan groups and the one which jumps out is Honouring the Ancient Dead.  Now I am all for everyone maintaining their desired faith and others respecting it.  However, I feel HAD make the world of heritage seem dirty, seedy and underhanded.  They often imply that archaeologists and museum professionals do not care about the remains of the ancients and that they are treated as scientific specimens to be wheeled out of collection stores when the next big idea comes along or museum visitor number are dropping.  I feel this to be an absurd notion, I know from my own experience that the study of human remains is to allow the ancient peoples to once more inhabit the landscapes that are being studied.  I agree that museum displays and archaeological texts can be lacking the human touch from time to time, but I feel this is improving.  It will not change over night, the science and the peopling of the past have reached a balance and now that is beginning to shine through in articles and displays.

So why are human remains displayed?

I honestly believe that human remains can lead to a new level of understanding when people visit museums.  Seeing material culture is interesting and allows them to see what was there but it does not bring people into the equation.  There is often a critique for not peopling the past, yet when ancient remains are displayed in Britain that is not right either...it seems we cannot win!

Living in the technical age is of huge benefit to us in matters such as these.  I do not believe that human remains should be handled on a regular basis, the display which they become a part of is essentially their new burial place and as such commands a level of respect.  This is obvious to me regardless of your faith, culture or any other inclinations you may have.  However, technology would surely allow is to create replicas, this can then satisfy both sides of the coin, remains are removed from display but replicas allow education to continue.  In terms of Britain, even with the use of replicas I do not believe that our ancient dead should all be immediately reburied as I feel as science continues to develop they will allow us to learn more about our ancient lands.

What about overseas?

Overseas, is another questions and I do not profess to have all the answers...not by a long shot.  However, if American museums worked more with Native American communities to develop exhibitions relating to their culture rather than seeing them as having the potential to remove elements of their collections, relations would improve.  Both sides are trying to protect what is important to them, however, I often feel that people are forgotten when culture is mentioned.  America is a huge multi everything nation and museums should reflect this.  Each ethnic group has the potential to experience issues, yet, Native Americans appear to be perceived as something that has past and is no longer part of the world.  This may not be the case, however, it is the way it has always come across to me.  Museums should promote their past as much as any other element of American society, however, it should be presented in an ongoing manner and the communities should have vast input on how this is achieved.  The museum should be a place that Native Americans take their children to learn about their past and the wider past of the country.  Improved relations will ultimately integrate America and it will become culturally richer as a result. 

In the case of America the discussion relating to display and storage is, I feel, a personal dialogue between museums and related communities.  It is a two way street and it could lead to a fulfilling and vibrant learning environment for all.  However, I fear it will be along time before that is the case.  The ancient remains held in American Museums are far more traceable to modern communities than is the case in Britain.  As a result consultation and collaborative working is essential if conflict is to cease and celebration is to begin.

As I have previously stated, I do not profess to have all the answers, but, I often feel that a little bit of common sense, some compassion and the patience to listen could ease the pressure of the repatriation debate and allow everyone to develop a plan for the future.  The people of the present cannot undo the wrongs of the past, they cannot even apologise as it was not them that instructed or carried out the acts.  However, they can put steps in place to ensure that such wrongs do not occur again and that everyone has a say in what happens to their ancestors and all aspects of their material culture.  After all it is their story to tell....

Thank you again for forming a debate, I am sure my opinions are likely to cause more reaction, but, it is important that such topics are considered and discussed.  The more we make it taboo the longer that poor practise will continue and that is something that no party wants.


Want to learn more?

Honouring the Ancient Dead http://www.honour.org.uk

James, N. 2008 Repatriation, Display and Interpretation Antiquity Vol. 82 770-777

Jenkins, T. 2011 Contesting Human Remains in Museum Collections Routledge: New York and Oxon   

Monroe, D,L. and Echo-Hawk, W. 1991 Deft Deliberations Museum News. July/August 55-58

Mor, H. 2010. The Obscure Ownership of Archaeological Material British Archaeology Vol. 114 http://www.archaeologyuk.org/ba/ba114/feat2.shtml [accessed March 20 2013]

Moshenska, G. 2009 The Reburial Issue in Britain Antiquity Vol. 83 815-820

Payne, S. 2010. A Child’s Gift to Science British Archaeology Vol. 112 http://www.archaeologyuk.org/ba/ba112/science.shtml [accessed March 20 2013]

Pickering, M. 2011 ‘Dancing through the minefield’: The Development of Practical Ethics for Repatriation in Marstine, J (ed) The Routledge Companion to Museum Ethics: Redefining Ethics for the Twenty-First-Century Museum Routledge: Oxon 256-274

To Repatriate or not to Repatriate?

Repatriation is probably one of the most contested and emotive issues within heritage.  It comes with far more questions than it ever does answers, yet for a paper I about to write as part of a course I'm currently doing I am seeking for answers.

The question I have is so broad the 2500 words seems like it can only ever be an introduction! After completing a fair bit of background reading I still do not know if I fully agree or disagree with the notion.  I have however reduced it down to human remains and more specifically of ancient Britons.  There seems to be a lot of focus on the repatriation of indigenous peoples and rightly so, but, I have found very little on the repatriation of Britons from Britain's museums.  There are Pagan and Druid groups that are making calls for museums to return Britons to their locales and to be re-interred.  However, this has problems of its' own, from where to place them, how to place and what sort of ceremony should occur.  I can't even decide when the term ancient Briton no longer applies!

As you can see I have found myself a mine field, but, I am not put off by it! Instead I thought I would try and gather the thoughts of others, so it is over to you...if you have strong views, good articles, case studies anything at all really get in touch and broaden my horizons.

Looking forward to hearing from you all :0)

Welcome to...National Museum Ireland

Well I haven't tried this before, at least not in blog form, so here it is a museum review!

I visited the National Museum Ireland in January and concentrated my efforts on the Archaeology building, it was a duel purpose, I wanted to see the lovely Broighter Boat; but I was writing an assessed article about the British Museum and her Britishness too.  I have no doubt that researching national identities affected my perspective of the museum and its' displays, but, it does provide this review with a little bit of focus.

The outside of NMI is nothing to write home about, it is classical in appearance and seems understated until you walk into the reception area.  A beautiful mosaic floor greets you with a spectacular dome above; it provides a wow before you even see an artefact!  (Sadly I cannot share a photo as they are only allowed for personal use, hopefully I will receive some permissions soon and I will edit them in!)

As you walk through the main doors into the galleries you cannot miss the array of Irish gold which forms the centre of the ground floor...it has another wow factor and I still haven't really seen anything.  I always have a prehistory agenda, so I knew I would get to all that gold, but it could wait a little longer...I had pottery to see.

The outer boundary of the gallery follows Ireland's prehistory, it is clearly presented in simple cases, designed to allow you to truly appreciate examples of everything, rather than full to bursting.  Labelling can be a little hit and miss, it is always there, but aretefacts are not always numbered, which is a shame as the information is well structured and easily understood.  I spent a great amount of time admiring some beautiful lithics, before the gallery relating to the Hill of Tara began to take my attention.  Having been fortunate enough to visit Tara in 2009 it was a particularly rewarding gallery.  It clearly explains and demonstrates the multi-period nature of Tara from prehistory to present, but is careful to avoid politics.  This is something I feel deserves praise, it would have been easy to detract from the world significance and indeed the Irish significance of Tara by providing politics and the curators should be applauded for the manner in which it is handled.

After my visit to Tara I went back on myself a little to see the astonishing log boat, it is covered, but, not in a case.  I am undecided as to how I feel about this, but, on the whole I think it is positive.  The wall behind the boat details discovery, use, preservation and methods of excavation; successfully identifying the stages of boats life.

A particularly impressive gallery is that of the Iron Age, it covers life and death throughout the period in an accessible manner.  The sensitive subject of human remains is dealt with particularly well, the gallery is now home to four bog bodies.  Each is cleverly surrounded in a chamber, with information placed on the outer wall, thus leaving it open to the individual to decide whether or not to view them.  I did, but, was shocked at how many did not.  The display is peaceful and respectful, there are no gimmicks, sounds, additions, simply the encased individual in low lighting.  I have mixed views on the display of human remains, but, this is a tactful display which many better funded museums could learn a lot from.

The mass of gold artefacts are generally parts of, if not entire, hoards.  They are of course impressive and the workmanship is amazing; I am sure metal smiths of modern times would appreciate the complexity far more than I, but I was blown away!  The most impressive pieces, including the beautiful Broighter Boat are tucked away in the Treasury, this gallery alone made for a worthwhile trip.  The gallery name suggests that it is simply a treasure trove, however, this is not the case.  Aretfacts and periods are very well represented and ample interpretation is provided. 

The upper galleries are a little different, there is a taste of Ancient Egypt and Ancient Cyprus makes a worthy appearance too.  Although taking away from the Irish story the artefacts are impressive and the mummies are displayed with their outer lids open, but, enclosed within inner layer, again a well thought out display.  The remainder of the upper gallery houses the Vikings, a popular aspect of Dublin's history, but, possibly under-represented within this museum.  This is possibly due to the overlap with the National History Museum though.  There is a small section on Christianity and the loss of Pagan traditions, but this is far smaller than I thought it would be, again likely to be due to the overlap.

So what did I think? I loved it!  I left feeling very away of Ireland and her proud history.  The layout of galleries is suggestive of a prehistoric bias, obviously I enjoy this, but, I think it is largely related to the multi-site nature of Ireland's National Museum family.  I did note that there is nothing representing Northern Ireland, but, considering they too have a National Museum I was not shocked.  Gaelic is included within all signage and adds to the experience of an outsider, at least in my opinion.  There are family activities dotted around the museum, but I was pleased by the lack of interactives, as I feel they often detract from the artefacts.  The museum is not perfect, but, it is not far off so I would happily give it a 9/10 and recommend it to anyone that is planning a visit to Dublin.  I saw every gallery at comfortable speed in about 2 hours.

So that is that, first one done! Thought it best to start on a pleasant one...as ever share your thoughts in all the usual ways. 

Happy Discovering

Let us Raise a Glass

Well here we are at the end of 2012, what a year it has been.  Thankfully the world didn't end so I can once again thank my readers for continually reading my musings, you really are amazing and we have passed the 4000 views marker!  Something I never dreamt would happen when I started writing.  Blog technology tells me that the Advent Calender posts were successful and the amount of hits it registered was amazing...with this in mind 2013 will have artefact of the month as a regular feature.  I of course want to make this blog as good as I can and to do it I would love feedback from my viewers.  The Thanet research will continue and I hope to add some other bits and bobs along the way...deciding what is the hard part.

Thank you again for sticking with me and let us raise a glass to 2012's archaeological achievements and the adventures that 2013 may bring.