National Museum of the American Indian repatriates two objects to the Siksika Nation
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, October 31, 2024


National Museum of the American Indian repatriates two objects to the Siksika Nation
Siksika Repatriation Group Photo. From left to right: Ceremonial Elder Herman Yellow Old Woman, Samantha Hixson (Repatriation Research Specialist, NMAI), Cynthia Chavez-Lamar (Acting Associate Director, Museum Assets and Operations, NMAI), Jackie Swift (Repatriation Manager, NMAI), Rachel Shabica, (Supervisory Registrar, NMAI), Lauren Sieg, (Repatriation Research Specialist, NMAI), and Siksika Nation Chief and Councillor Kent Ayoungman. Image courtesy of Siksika Nation.



WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian repatriated a Prairie Chicken Society Headdress and a Weather Dance Robe to Siksika Nation.

Siksika Nation, which is located in Alberta, Canada, maintains a network of societies that provide a foundation for their cultural and religious practices. The Prairie Chicken Society is unique to the Siksika, and the headdress once belonged to the society’s leader. It was accessioned into the Museum of the American Indian—the predecessor museum to the current National Museum of the American Indian—in 1908. The collector is unknown.

The Weather Dance Robe is associated with the functions of a Weather Dancer—a medicine man who maintains a divine connection with the sun. The primary function of a Weather Dancer is the control of the weather during ceremonial occasions, such as the Sundance. The Weather Dancer ceremonial obligations also include providing blessings for community members when requested.

The Weather Dance Robe in the museum’s collection was acquired by William Wildschut in 1924 from Yellow Old Woman, the robe’s maker and a noted Siksika Weather Dancer. Upon its return to Siksika Nation, it will be prepared for the Sundance Ceremony by Herman Yellow Old Woman, a current Weather Dancer and the great-grandson of the robe’s maker.

“Repatriation has always been one of the highest priorities for the National Museum of the American Indian,” said Machel Monenerkit, the museum’s acting director. “Our repatriation policy embodies our mission and vision, and we are proud to have worked with Siksika Nation to ensure the return of these objects.”

Siksika Nation Chief and Council Representative Kent Ayoungman and Ceremonial Elder Herman Old Yellow Woman attended the ceremony at the museum and were delegated to collect the Natowa’piists (sacred items) on behalf of Siksika Nation.

“The repatriation of our cultural property is necessary to the revitalization of the Siksika way of life and remains a top priority for the Siksika Nation Chief and Council who work with various public and private collections on repatriating Natowa’piists back to Siksika,” said Ayoungman. “It is a special thing to see these items coming home and to be a part of this process.”

Both the headdress and the robe are sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony. As defined in the museum’s repatriation policy, sacred objects are those needed by traditional Native American religious leaders for the practice of Native American religions, including objects needed for the renewal of a religious practice. Objects of cultural patrimony are those objects that have ongoing historical, traditional or cultural importance central to a tribe or Native Hawaiian organization or culture, rather than property owned by an individual. These objects cannot be alienated, appropriated or conveyed by any individual regardless of whether or not the individual is a member of the tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.










Today's News

July 31, 2021

How the Guggenheim got its groove back

Ace Gallery founder arrested on embezzlement charges

The National Gallery of Art acquires works by Friedrich Sustris and Arthur Wesley Dow

Murals at a San Francisco school should stay for now, judge says

'Alice Neel: People Come First'

Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to retire

Guggenheim Museum curators move to join a union

Smithsonian American Art Museum receives $2.1 million from the Windgate Foundation

The Menil Collection opens 'Enchanted: Visual Histories of the Central Andes'

Fourth suicide at the Vessel leads to calls for higher barriers

Frankenthaler Foundation commits $10M to promote climate change action in visual arts

National Museum of the American Indian repatriates two objects to the Siksika Nation

Joslyn Art Museum reveals design for New Rhonda and Howard Hawks Pavilion

Talbot Rice Gallery presents 'Emeka Ogboh: Song of the Union in Edinburgh'

Broadway audiences will need proof of vaccination and masks

Chemould Prescott Road opens an exhibition of works by one of India's greatest abstractionist painters

Floyd Cooper, illustrator of Black life for children, dies at 65

How to celebrate the 200th birthday of a man everyone knows and no one knows

On the road with Ballet Theatre. Who needs red velvet seats.

Embracing vintage cars in the Catskills

Olympic Games inspired large-scale robotic art installation unveiled in Tokyo by Jason Bruges Studio

Museums present 'A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art'

Willie McCovey's Estate rounds home at Heritage Auctions in August

How Architects play a key role in Home Construction

How Architects can reduce building construction cost?

Role of architects in building a Home

Top 5 Virtual Mailbox Services




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful