Post by Gerard Willemsen on Nov 20, 2009 11:01:28 GMT 1
In museums and institutions in many places in the world there are great numbers of human skeletal remains. They are used in research etc. Part of that came to those places in a proper way, by the last will of the perso. But especially when indigenous peoples are concerned, material has many times been stolen or robbed from graves. Only recently, the Hawaiians did receive back some remains from teh History Museum in Stockholm.
At the Swedish Institute of Missiological research SIM there was a symposium on this matter last week. Questions are not always easy, from were were the craniums and other parts taken, who would be the recipient etc. You have to assess the matter in each individual case, in contact with the people who are affected.
The Saami parliament in Sweden has several years ago demanded to receive back skeletal remains from Saami stolen from the graves in the 19th century mostly, for the purpose of reburial. Even if something has happened, institutions seem to be unwilling in the case of Swedens own indigenous people. The demand was formulated in spring 2007. It was supported officially by the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden in june 2007 with a statement at the Annual Conference. But it goes too slow.
Those issues are going on in many places in the world. As churches, we should support the indigenous people in their strive to repatriate their ancestors!
At the Swedish Institute of Missiological research SIM there was a symposium on this matter last week. Questions are not always easy, from were were the craniums and other parts taken, who would be the recipient etc. You have to assess the matter in each individual case, in contact with the people who are affected.
The Saami parliament in Sweden has several years ago demanded to receive back skeletal remains from Saami stolen from the graves in the 19th century mostly, for the purpose of reburial. Even if something has happened, institutions seem to be unwilling in the case of Swedens own indigenous people. The demand was formulated in spring 2007. It was supported officially by the Mission Covenant Church of Sweden in june 2007 with a statement at the Annual Conference. But it goes too slow.
Those issues are going on in many places in the world. As churches, we should support the indigenous people in their strive to repatriate their ancestors!