Oy, Oberlin, what are you doing? Thirty years to return sacred objects to the Native American tribe they rightfully belong to? What was the Historical Society thinking?
It wasn't a matter of keeping the artifacts at Oberlin for student use in studying Native American culture. The Historical Society was renting the Nez Perce artifacts to the tribe's Historic Park. The artifacts have been in Idaho for the past fifteen years, the Historical Society's only connection to these items was monetary.
It is questionable whether Oberlin ever actually rightfully owned these artifacts. Even if they did, what is the point of renting out the items, but refusing to actually return them? Did the Historical Society want bragging rights?
Sometimes, certain objects must be looked at disregarding their monetary value. Even if the Historical Society was loath to do this, which was shameful, considering Oberlin's supposed cultural sensitivity, there is a federal law mandating that these objects should be returned to the tribe.
Forget the law, though, this is just pitiful and disrespectful. These objects were culturally sacred, Oberlin had already given the items to the tribe, and for the past fifteen years they have just been haggling over money. Everyone has heard of these situations happening in other places, but one would have hoped that Oberlin would have been above such crass behavior.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 124, Number 16; March 1, 1996
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