Students 'depressed' by state of American Indian artifacts
By Terry Rombeck, Journal-World
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Carla Feathers says she often leaves the American Indian collections at Kansas University feeling depressed.
Some of the more than 5,000 artifacts in the collection are shoved into boxes. Items from tribes that were historically enemy tribes are sometimes placed next to each other, which some believe disrupts the spirits of the items. The collections generally aren't taken out for fresh air or for special ceremonies, as is custom in American Indian cultures.
"The items haven't been cared for," said Feathers, a graduate student who is Pawnee and Cherokee. "It's really saddening. All of us leave (the collection) feeling really bad. Most of us have a personal connection to the items."
Feathers and a group of fellow graduate students have started a campaign to improve conditions of KU's anthropology collections. They're hoping KU will step up its care for the American Indian collection, and for about 4,800 artifacts representing cultures in other parts of the world. In some cases, they say the items are too sensitive for the university to even keep in its collections.
Consultant help
The collections are now considered part of the "anthropology research and curation resource." They were the basis for the Museum of Anthropology, located in Spooner Hall, until the university closed the museum in 2002, citing budget concerns. The items are open to classes and researchers, but not to the public.
The students contend the university has considered selling all or some of the collections. University officials say while that may have been discussed after the museum closed, that possibility is no longer on the table.
Through the budget cuts, the number of people on staff to care for the artifacts -- which are housed in Spooner and Fraser halls -- fell from seven to one full-time position and one half-time position.
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"The collections are all intact," said Mary Adair, the museum's interim director. "Donors have been very concerned about the status of materials. We're caring for them to the best of our ability. Obviously, we have limited resources."
But the graduate students, who are involved in the Center for Indigenous Nations Studies and the museum studies programs, say that's not good enough. For instance, they say, items in acidic wooden boxes should be transferred to metal boxes so they don't decay.
They're asking KU to increase its funding for the collection's upkeep. Ultimately, the group would like the items to be opened to the public again through public exhibition space.
The students say many of the items in the collection aren't properly identified, making care even more difficult. They'd like to bring in a group of tribal consultants to the collection to help identify the items.
"Just one Indian isn't going to know everything," said Jancita Warrington of Keshena, Wis., a member of the Menominee and Prairie Band Potawatomi tribes. "We're trying to bring in various consultants."
They're applying for grant funding from the Kansas Humanities Council, tribes and private foundations, but some granting agencies require the collection be tied to a museum that's open to the public.
‘Living objects'
If there are items that are identified by the consultants as especially sensitive for the tribes or have particular cultural value -- such as ghost dance shirts, eagle feathers or war bonnets -- Warrington said the items shouldn't be in KU's collections.
"The more ceremonial items we want returned to the tribes," she said. "They're not meant to be in a museum."
At the very least, the students say, some items should be taken out for fresh air and for a smudging ceremony, which cleanses objects of negative energies or spirits.
"It's very sacred stuff that's up there, to these tribes," said Johnny Williams, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe from Mayetta. "They're not dead objects. They're living."
To spread the word about their concerns, the students have organized several panel discussions at KU and Haskell Indian Nations University this semester about the collection.
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KU response
KU administrators say they're aware of the concerns over the American Indian collections.
"If any student would find an item in the collection that was not being properly stored or needed some particular treatment, they should definitely inform the interim director," said Mary Lee Hummert, associate vice provost for research. "We're very much aware of the fragile nature of the items."
But Hummert said she wasn't sure whether the university would volunteer to return items to tribes. Some items that are used for ongoing ceremonies or for funeral ceremonies, for example, must be returned to the tribes under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
"We'd probably have to talk about a specific case," Hummert said. "We take very seriously our responsibility in relationship to artifacts and recognize the need for cultural sensitivity."
Hummert said there were currently no plans to re-open the collection or increase funding for upkeep.
Common problem
James Riding In, a professor at Arizona State University and an expert in American Indian collections, said conflicts over American Indian artifacts were not uncommon at universities.
Riding In, a member of the Pawnee nation, said returning culturally sensitive items to tribes may be difficult for several reasons. First, he said, the tribal leaders may be reluctant to provide details about traditional tribal ceremonies. Second, travel is an obstacle.
"Despite the myth that all Indians are gaming-rich, many lack resources to send people to these institutions to look at the items," he said.
Still, he said he applauded the students for becoming advocates for the artifacts. He said he hoped the university could find a way to make certain items available to more of the public for teaching purposes.
"I applaud them for showing their interest," he said. "The students saw the deep, rich, cultural significance of those items."
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