Conference Forum - Repatriation, Restitution, Return: Navigating the Ownership, Stewardship, and Ethics of Cultural Heritage Collections

Society for American Archaeology
2025 Annual Meeting
Forum Presented by the UCLA Waystation Initiative

During the past two decades, attitudes regarding the ownership and stewardship of international archaeological and ethnographic objects have changed drastically. Institutions as well as individuals are now acknowledging the violent history of war and colonialism attached to many collections. Museums and universities are actively responding to the need to implement NAGPRA policies, address international objects with problematic histories, and to decolonize curatorial practice. In this evolving context, what are the emerging solutions for both short- and long-term stewardship of cultural objects? How are new approaches and ethics being taught and applied? How do efforts to repatriate or voluntarily return cultural heritage affect our relationships with nations and communities, and how are these efforts perceived by those seeking the return of their heritage? What is the relevance of these issues for the archaeological community? This forum will explore these questions through examples and case studies, examining the shifting discourses of ownership and stewardship, repatriation and voluntary return, professional ethics, diverse definitions and practices for decolonization, and other new directions for archaeology.

Moderator: Jason De Leon, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology

Participants:

• Tony Chapa, Tribal Nations Technical Center of Expertise
• Blanca Maldanado, Colegio de Michoacán
• Steve Nash, Archaeology Southwest
• Ocatvius Seowtewa [Zuni (A:shiwi)], Cultural Advisor
• Lyssa Stapleton, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
• Jordan Wilson (Musqueam), New York University