Although I am not from Benin, I am of African descent and I agree with Mr.
Buffalo.  However, I once encountered a curator who, when asked if African
art that was stolen should be returned he replied that Africa was too
unstable (politically) to be entursted with objects of such value and
significance. Of course beacuse i was working at this museum and I wanted
to be respectful of this person, i bit my tongue until it bled. I found
myslef wondering if museums or western countries actually had the right to
deny a people their cultural property based on a western standard of
political stability without factoring in colonialism and neo-colonialism?
I read a book by bell hooks and she says that as a student in Paris, she
was amazed at the amount of African art in French museums.  Her theory
about why there was sucha plethora of objects to chose from was this ( and
i am paphrasing) if a people are forced to lose touch with their ability
to create then they can easily be conquered.

So lets suppose that various African groups decide to ask that their art
be returned.  Would this process be the responsibility of the U.N. or
would ICOMOS be involved, or just exactly who? As a former Poli Sci
student, I think this would be an interesting process to follow.  How
about you?


Shana

On Tue, 3 Feb 1998, Janice Klein wrote:

> A terrific question, since many of the Benin bronzes were looted during the
> British Punitive Expedition and (it is my understanding) that the museum in
> Benin City has very little (if any) original work.  This of course, brings
> us to the larger (probably unsolvable) question, do those who "made" the art
> have a  right to have it in their community or does "great art" belong to
> the world?
>
> I did once get an interesting answer from Jonathan Buffalo, the Meskwaki
> historical preservation coordinator, in regard to the "sharing" of his
> tribes' cultural property:  give it all back and we'll lend you some for
> exhibit.
>
> Janice Klein
> Registrar, The Field Museum
> [log in to unmask]
>
> At 06:08 PM 2/2/1998 -0800, you wrote:
> >While working on a travelling African art exhibition in Denver, there was
> >discussion within the African community about having the art repatriated.
> >The art was from Benin.  If we can see how the native people of america
> >and those who were stolen from during the holocaust are deserving of hainv
> >their objects returned, can the museum profession see this for African art
> >as well?  Just wondering.
> >
> >Shana Chambers
> >[log in to unmask]
> >
> >
>