Repatriation as a Reflection of Stó:lô Cultural Values: Tset Tháyeltxwem Te lálém S’olh etawtxw (We are Building a House of Respect)

• Main Author: Meagan E. Gough
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2004
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.606.5567; http://www.law.ualberta.ca/research/aboriginalculturalheritage/stolo-meagan.pdf

This thesis considers the repatriation of First Nations ’ cultural property and human remains from museums. It foregrounds the process of repatriation in order to report on how it can proceed in accordance with local values and goals. Based on PAR (Participatory Action Research) with members of the Stó:lô First Nation in British Columbia, which involved formal interviews and informal discussions, priorities and strategies for future repatriation initiatives were developed. Our use of PAR thus clarified this community’s repatriation goals, while providing a way to enact a re-formed anthropology that addresses recent critiques of its epistemological and ethical practices.