Solitude and Solidarity: Exploring the Impact of Non-Indigenous Concepts of Animacy on the Repatriation of Indigenous Belongings

• Vivian McGinnis-Tingle, Art History, University of Delaware

• Jennifer Van Horn, Art History, University of Delaware

This presentation provides an overview of research conducted to better understand how we distinguish between a human body and a work of art. It approaches this question through the lens of indigenous repatriation, exploring the inherent conflict between indigenous and western perspectives on life and death. The presentation delves into the legal and ethical considerations made by institutions and governments, and the broader ramifications of their decisions. While we live in a progressively more ethical day and age, much of the world remains influenced by western thought’s unshakeable binary between life and death, and the animate and inanimate. Following a brief explanation and analysis on the writings of several Indigenous scholars, the presentation will summarize the recent policy changes in institutional collection management, including the Smithsonian Directive (SD) 600. Finally, the presentation briefly explores the University of Delaware’s past and present policies on repatriation, acquisition, and deaccessioning of indigenous belongings.