SELECTED ABSTRACTS FROM THE CAPE TOWN WORKSHOP - FEBRUARY 13-14, 2017
Repatriating Ancestors, Restoring Respect: The challenges of repatriating human remains from South Africa to Namibia by Dr. Jeremy Silvester
The decision of Iziko Museums of South Africa to review its collections of human remains is important and necessary. It fits the transformative agenda to reconfigure collections, review processes and reconceptualise ‘the museum’ that Namibia and South Africa both embrace. The return of ancestral remains from German museums associated with the genocide (in 2011 and 2014) has already generated debate within Namibian communities about the role of these repatriations in restoring respect to the dead and to communities. The `collecting’ of bodies was unethical – `grave robbing’ with the absence of informed consent. However, Namibia lacks a policy for dealing with human remains and identifying and establishing dialogue with descendant communities. The South African initiative, therefore, presents a significant opportunity for Namibia to develop a process for building dialogue between museums and the communities they serve.
The decision of Iziko Museums of South Africa to review its collections of human remains is important and necessary. It fits the transformative agenda to reconfigure collections, review processes and reconceptualise ‘the museum’ that Namibia and South Africa both embrace. The return of ancestral remains from German museums associated with the genocide (in 2011 and 2014) has already generated debate within Namibian communities about the role of these repatriations in restoring respect to the dead and to communities. The `collecting’ of bodies was unethical – `grave robbing’ with the absence of informed consent. However, Namibia lacks a policy for dealing with human remains and identifying and establishing dialogue with descendant communities. The South African initiative, therefore, presents a significant opportunity for Namibia to develop a process for building dialogue between museums and the communities they serve.
Human Remains in South African Institutions by Dr. Wendy Black
A number of universities and museums across South Africa hold human remains collections, most of which are used for scientific study. These collections contain skeletons from contexts that include southern African hunter-gatherers from the last 10,000 years, as well as more recent African and foreign individuals. Many museum and academic establishments have developed internal policies dealing with human remains but these can vary substantially between institutions; currently no national policy has been finalised. Although archaeological collections, collected under permitted legislative conditions, are not an immediate cause for concern, those individuals collected unethically, such as those obtained by illicit means in the early 1900s for racially based studies, are now targeted for immediate repatriation. Iziko Museums of South Africa has had prolific involvement in the development of policy regarding human remains curation, access, repatriation and research. It is now spearheading the possibility of repatriating a number of unethically collected individuals and has made initial strides in engaging traditional leadership nationwide in human remains consultation in the
hopes that other museums and institutions will follow suit.
A number of universities and museums across South Africa hold human remains collections, most of which are used for scientific study. These collections contain skeletons from contexts that include southern African hunter-gatherers from the last 10,000 years, as well as more recent African and foreign individuals. Many museum and academic establishments have developed internal policies dealing with human remains but these can vary substantially between institutions; currently no national policy has been finalised. Although archaeological collections, collected under permitted legislative conditions, are not an immediate cause for concern, those individuals collected unethically, such as those obtained by illicit means in the early 1900s for racially based studies, are now targeted for immediate repatriation. Iziko Museums of South Africa has had prolific involvement in the development of policy regarding human remains curation, access, repatriation and research. It is now spearheading the possibility of repatriating a number of unethically collected individuals and has made initial strides in engaging traditional leadership nationwide in human remains consultation in the
hopes that other museums and institutions will follow suit.
Human Remains Management in Botswana by Winani Kgwatalala
There is a sizeable number of human remains at the National Museum and the University of Botswana, Archaeology Unit. The collections mostly contain skeletal remains from archaeological findings and rescue archaeology dating from precolonial times to contemporary collections. While the two institutions have developed internal policies on human remains management, there is no national policy. A number of remains have been sent to communities for reburial; no remains have been targeted for repatriation from Botswana to other countries. The process for ratification of the 1970 and 1954 UNESCO Conventions and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention by Botswana has led to the drafting of an all-encompassing law on heritage in order to domesticate the Conventions and allow for their implementation. The hope therefore is that the issue of human remains will be addressed and that the policy will address curation, access, repatriation, and research.
There is a sizeable number of human remains at the National Museum and the University of Botswana, Archaeology Unit. The collections mostly contain skeletal remains from archaeological findings and rescue archaeology dating from precolonial times to contemporary collections. While the two institutions have developed internal policies on human remains management, there is no national policy. A number of remains have been sent to communities for reburial; no remains have been targeted for repatriation from Botswana to other countries. The process for ratification of the 1970 and 1954 UNESCO Conventions and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention by Botswana has led to the drafting of an all-encompassing law on heritage in order to domesticate the Conventions and allow for their implementation. The hope therefore is that the issue of human remains will be addressed and that the policy will address curation, access, repatriation, and research.
Re-humanisation and Restoration of Dignity through Sensitive Human Remains Management and Museum Ethics by Rooksana Omar
The issue of human remains in museum collections is complex, and the ethical considerations and obligations are even greater. The question that we in the museum sector should pose ourselves and deliberate on is, should all museums follow the same rules, or should museums develop their own policies and guidelines based on a broad set of ethical principles and obligations that ought to be observed when working with human remains and sensitive collections from source communities? Does the ICOM Code of Ethics sufficiently address this aspect of museum management and practice? In this presentation, I intend to discuss references made to the management of human remains in the ICOM Code of Ethics.
The issue of human remains in museum collections is complex, and the ethical considerations and obligations are even greater. The question that we in the museum sector should pose ourselves and deliberate on is, should all museums follow the same rules, or should museums develop their own policies and guidelines based on a broad set of ethical principles and obligations that ought to be observed when working with human remains and sensitive collections from source communities? Does the ICOM Code of Ethics sufficiently address this aspect of museum management and practice? In this presentation, I intend to discuss references made to the management of human remains in the ICOM Code of Ethics.
Perspectives on Repatriation of African Human Remains from European Museums
A keynote address by Rudo Sithole (AFRICOM) at the Human Remains Management and Policy Development in Southern Africa Workshop held in Windhoek, Namibia March 22-23rd, 2018.
A keynote address by Rudo Sithole (AFRICOM) at the Human Remains Management and Policy Development in Southern Africa Workshop held in Windhoek, Namibia March 22-23rd, 2018.
