OK, very fair point on the items with a display / retain problem beyond
simply being not in keeping with the current mores.

They were not, to be fair, referred to in the original question though.
They come under a quite different category of problem I would say, and one
I am not qualified to pronounce upon!

Jackie

At 01:45 PM 09-11-99 -0500, you wrote:
>Yes, but what about Aboriginal (Indian) material. For example, ceremonial
masks, that had (and still have) personal religious meaning, that should
not be on display or in a museum. Or for that matter, African religious
artifacts.
>
>As an example from the States, what about the skulls of Native Americans
(Indians). Shouldn't museums "edit" those artifacts out of their
collections? I'm thinking of a story not too long ago where a major musuem
in the States would not give the relatives the bones of their ancestors for
>proper burial. Is it not "immoral" for museums to continue to keep these
types of objects in their collections?
>
>Shea (Seana Jones)
>
>Jackie Britton wrote:
>The changing of displays over time to reflect contemporary knowledge and
attitudes is normal (but should be done with self awareness!) - the
'editing' of collections is another matter intirely and would be immoral in
itself.
>
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NOTE NEW TELEPHONE AND FAX NUMBERS

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Jackie Britton
Head of Collections Storage and Access
Science Museum, London SW7 2DD, UK

phone: 0207 942 4155         email: [log in to unmask]
Science Museum home page:  http://www.nmsi.ac.uk
Jackie's Architectural Pages:  http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4350
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

=========================================================
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