article
The return of the Ahayu:da: lessons for repatriation from Zuni Pueblo and the Smithsonian Institution
Current anthropology • 34 (5) • Published In 1993 • Pages: 523-567
By: Merrill, William L., Ladd, Edmund J., Ferguson, T. J. , Thomas John).
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In 1987, the Smithsonian Institution returned two <native>Ahayu:da</native> (twin gods or war gods)to the Zuni of western New Mexico. Negotiations leading to their repatriation extended over nine years. During this period, a number of issues regarding the proper curation of Zuni objects at the Smithsonian were raised, many of which were resolved while others were tabled to be addressed in the future. A detailed history of these negotiations is presented and then analyzed from the distinct perspectives of each of the authors, who played central roles in the negotiations as a Smithsonian curator, a Zuni anthropologist, and a consulting anthropologist hired by the Pueblo of Zuni. This case study offers insights into the complexities of the repatriation process and valuable lessons for museums and tribes as they begin discussing the return of cultural property legislated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (p. 523).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- External relations
- Sacred objects and places
- Artifact and archive collections
- Reviews and critiques
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Zuni
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2009
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Southwest and Basin
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Indigenous Person
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- John Beierle; 2007
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1978-1987
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1846-1987
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- by William L. Merrill, Edmund J. Ladd, and T. J. Ferguson
- artifact repatriation - International Relations (648)
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 565-567)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- a 63000576
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Zuni Indians