Having read, rather cursorily, through the large number of contributions on this matter, I wonder if it isn't time to take a more positive view of repatriation/return of cultural property. Without simply referring to monetary values and the suggestion (often made here with reference to the Parthenon marbles) that the seller had no right to sell and that the 'ordinary' national still has the right to object to her/his heritage being sold by anyone, surely there are good reason for negotiation over cultural objects. If we seek to possess these items, surely this is because they illuminate and elicidate the culture from which they came. In the discussions in Glasgow over the return of the Lakota Ghost Dance Shirt (see http://www.sdhistory.org/mus/mus_nagp.htm) the opportunity was taken with the descendants of the original 'owners' to gain much valuable extra information and the constructive relationship between the museum and the Wounded Knee Survivors Association will continue to be productive. The action of Glasgow Museums Director Mark O'Neill is, unfortunately, still unusual, but sooner or later, museums have to stop simply resisting and enter into discussions whether or not this leads to return of objects. At the moment, the British Museum et al are, of course, afraid of opening the flood gates. I assume the same is true in the USA, but in the end, there is more to be gained than lost. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).