Just a quick question, not intended to point a finger . . .

Where do you all find the time in a workday to engage in all this
typewritten conversation?? Just trying to keep up with what I find related
to my line of work (museum education) consumes enough time. It just strikes
me funny that you all have the time to engage in this sort of e-conversation
given how much work museum professionals have in a given day (and evening).
Just my two cents. Thanks.

Peter Lamothe
ISGM
Boston, MA
(my thoughts only)

> ----------
> From:         Deb Fuller
> Reply To:     Museum discussion list
> Sent:         Wednesday, November 10, 1999 11:28 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: research help
>
> In a message dated Wed, 10 Nov 1999 10:31:14 AM Eastern Standard Time,
> "Neidorf, Melissa" <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>
>
> >         Different cultures give their own meaning to their own objects
> than
> > people from outside that culture.
>
> And that's fine.  But it's one thing to say, "We should be sensitive to
> other cultures" and other thing to put a blanket limit on not displaying
> anything religious because SOME cultures don't want their things
> displayed.
>
> >         Different cultures give their own meaning to their own objects
> than
> > people from outside that culture. Example, Aboriginal Australian culture
> is
> > now estimated at least around 50,000 years  and todays links and meaning
> to
> > that past are not decreased or seen as invalid because another culture
> > detemines that Western notions of time is revelant to cultural
> significance.
>
> In that case, there is a direct link between the "modern" people and their
> ancestors and thus I think they have a valid right to say how their
> artifacts are handled.  I don't think it's a valid right for "modern"
> Native American tribes to dictate what happens to prehistoric tribes when
> there isn't a clear connection between tribes.  People moved in and out of
> America and some prehistoric tribes have no direct modern decendants.  I
> don't think anyone has the right to dictate what happens to the remains or
> artifacts of peoples that aren't "direct", proven ancestors.
>
>  >
> >         Different cultures give their own meaning to their own objects
> than
> > people from outside that culture. Links and meaning are not invalid
> because
> > another culture detemines HOW OR WHY OR WHAT is revelant and culturally
> > significant.
>
> So who determines "culture"?  I don't think anyone is going to argue that
> while Native Americans are part of a  broad culture of "Native American"
> but there are hundreds of Native American tribes that are vastly different
> from each other.  Same with being "African" or "American".  How close do
> cultures have to be to have power over what happens to artifacts?  My
> example pointed out that an Eastern tribe was trying to "take back"
> artifacts from a Southwestern tribe.  Those two tribes have very little in
> common "culturally" other than both being Native American.  They come from
> two completely different areas - almost opposite - areas of the country,
> have different customs and different ways of life.  It's the same as
> someone from New York City and someone from Savana, GA are both "American"
> in a broad cultural sense but have little in common outside that broad
> culture.
>
>
> >         Different cultures give their own meaning to their own objects
> and
> > history than people from outside that culture.
>
> That does not address the point of making claims on objects that were
> freely given up by members of the same culture.  And what about things
> that were discarded and collected?  Again, I don't know of a culture that
> makes claims on trash dropped by their people hundreds or thousands of
> years ago.
>
> >         It aint nothing to do with PC - Just being sensitive to other
> > cultures and mindful of your own yardsticks.
>
> My yardsticks are the same across cultures and I don't know of many
> cultures that make claims on artifacts that are hundreds of years old.  If
> something is sold or given away, I don't see how anyone other than the
> present owner should have rights to it and certainly someone doesn't have
> the right to come in and claim it back unless there are extreme
> circumstances. It's one thing to say, "I'm sorry.  I didn't know that the
> quilt I sold you was a family heirlom and would like it back."  It's quite
> another one to say, "We want those baskets that were given to the museum
> over 100 years ago completely of my ancestor's free will."  Or "We want
> those artifacts back from that prehistoric tribe that is Native American
> but has no living decendants because they died out over 1000 years ago."
>
> Deb Fuller
>
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