Culture Wars and the Fight Over Looted Artifacts

05/24/22 • 40 min

Priceless artwork and tribal artifacts have made their way across the globe through several means, some legitimate and others ... not so much.
While we rely on these objects to tell us about history, tradition and culture, the way they end up in our communities sometimes raises questions about what should happen to them, where they rightfully belong and how the legal system can get them home.
Congress has passed laws regulating what should happen to items taken from tribes without their permission, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The water gets muddier internationally though, as political drama takes center stage.
In this episode, we take a trip across the globe to see how this issue plays out in different communities.
The Founders Museum in Barre, Mass. is grappling with how to properly return moccasins, dolls and clothing from the Wounded Knee Massacre to the Lakota, which lost nearly 300 people in December 1890. Down the street, the Worcester Art Museum uses art once stolen by Nazis in World War II to show the difficult task of getting back Richard Neumann's renowned art collection. We also break down communications between Austria and Mexico over a storied feathered Aztec headdress.
Special guests:

Ann Meilus, president of the Barre Museum Association
Manny and Renee Iron Hawk, Lakota members of HAWK 1890, a society for the survivor descendants of the Wounded Knee Massacre
Shannon O’Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and CEO and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs
Claire Whitner, director of curatorial affairs and curator of European art at the Worcester Art Museum
Wesley Fisher, director of research for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the World Jewish Restitution Organization
Jennifer Kreder, law professor at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.
Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

Ann Meilus, president of the Barre Museum Association
Manny and Renee Iron Hawk, Lakota members of HAWK 1890, a society for the survivor descendants of the Wounded Knee Massacre
Shannon O’Loughlin, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and CEO and attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs
Claire Whitner, director of curatorial affairs and curator of European art at the Worcester Art Museum
Wesley Fisher, director of research for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and the World Jewish Restitution Organization
Jennifer Kreder, law professor at the Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.
Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

Previous Episode

My Body, My Choice

It feels like hardly a day goes by when you don't hear about the passage of a new, sweeping abortion law, an abortion-rights group challenging the law or another state weighing in on the treatment of transgender children, medically or within the school system. At the core of all this is bodily autonomy. How much say does an individual have over their own body?
The phrase "my body, my choice" has been often used by those seeking to defy public health orders for the past two years. Meanwhile, state lawmakers have made consequential decisions impacting the ability of Americans to make personal healthcare decisions, which are a matter of life and death.
In our sixth episode this season, we look at Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordering the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents of transgender kids receiving gender-affirming care, a process he called "abusive." We also dive deeper into the fallout of the state's ban on abortions beyond six weeks of pregnancy and the copycat laws that have cropped up around the nation.
Special guests:

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.
Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

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Pilgrimage to Amache

From August 1942 to October 1945, the Amache incarceration camp on the dusty, desolate eastern plain of Colorado detained 10,000 Japanese Americans and other immigrants. Those imprisoned at Amache built their own town with a fire department, a beauty salon and schools. Detainees raised crops, grew gardens and held festivals to honor the changing seasons.
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Special guests:

Carlene Tanigoshi Tinker, an 82-year-old survivor of Amache
Ken Kitajima, a 91-year-old Amache survivor
Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, the granddaughter of Amache survivors
Mitch Homma, the son of Amache survivors
Bonnie J. Clark, professor of anthropology at the University of Denver
Calvin Hada, president of the Nikkeijin-Kai of Colorado
Gabriel “Jack” Chin, law professor at the University of California Davis
Richard Primus, law professor at the University of Michigan

This episode was produced by Kirk McDaniel. Intro music by The Dead Pens.
Editorial staff is Ryan Abbott, Sean Duffy and Jamie Ross.

Sidebar by Courthouse News - Culture Wars and the Fight Over Looted Artifacts

Transcript

[Intro Music]

Nina Pullano: Holding on to the stuff that humans have created and collected over time is a vital part of preserving and learning about ancient cultures, honoring traditions and keeping the past alive. But ancient artifacts can grow legs – stolen from their ancestral communities, especially during times of war – they then travel the world around thanks to looters and art dealers, sometimes traveling salesmen looking to make a quick buck. That raises questions about what