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Date: | Wed, 23 Oct 1996 19:56:25 CST |
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First a brief story, then some questions about the ownership of
excavated artifacts.
Archeologist Dr. Z worked for a state funded public university, ABC
University. Dr. Z offered courses in field methodology, some of which
were conducted at the DEF Museum, a not-for-profit historic site with
significant occupation from the early 1800s through the 1920s. Dr. Z
apparently had a verbal agreement with the director(s) of the DEF
Museum concerning the deposition of the excavated materials. After
excavation, any recovered artifacts were taken to the lab at ABC
University, where they were washed and stored in small boxes. Some of
this material was assigned a site number and some catalogued into a
simple ledger catalogue system. None of the materials were officially
accessioned by either ABC University or DEF Museum. Dr. Z has since
left the ABC University and the new archeologist wants to bring the
the management of the collection into the twentieth century. All of
the materials in this collection are historic, so compliance with
NAGPRA is not an issue.
My questions are these:
In the absence of a written agreement between a university and a site,
what is the usual and customary practice in establishing ownership of
the excavated materials?
Who in fact, does own the artifacts, the university where they are
currently housed, or the museum from which they were excavated.
Where should the artifacts be curated: at the university where they
currently reside -- these being the only historic artifacts in the
collection, or at the museum -- which interprets the history of the
site's occupation?
Are there larger ethical issues which need to be addressed, or is it
simply a matter of determining ownership and moving on with the proper
accessioning, cataloguing, and curation of the artifacts.
I welcome all thoughts and inquiries. Please respond to me privately
at the address below, or to the list if you think this is a worthy
topic of discussion.
Many thanks in advance.
Karen Heege
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