2024 Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge | Going Home: Returning Material Culture to Native Communities

Black-and-white image of a long-haired person in a suit standing in a field with hills in the background. Text reads: "Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge: Going Home: Returning Material Culture to Native Communities. Nov 15-16, 2024.

In partnership with the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, the third year of the Marshall McKay Seminar will delve into the critical topics of cultural items returning to communities with a focus on the changing landscape of voluntary returns.

Titled Going Home: Returning Material Culture to Native Communities, this two-day seminar will feature knowledge keepers, community leaders, and museum experts that will discuss strategies, challenges, and success stories related to the voluntary return of cultural heritage to Indigenous communities. This year’s two-day Seminar will be held at the Autry’s Resources Center in Burbank, CA.

Director’s Welcome and Introduction

Steve Aron

What is Cultural Patrimony?

Aaron Brien (Crow): Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Crow Tribe, Montana
James Pepper Henry (Kaw Nation), Consultant and former Director of the First Americans Museum

Voices from the Community: Recipients of Repatriated Items

Shana Bushyhead Condill (Eastern Band of Cherokee), Executive Director, Museum of the Cherokee People
Jordan Dresser (Northern Arapaho), Collections Engagement Manager, Fort Collins Museum of Discovery Fort Collins, CO
Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva) & Gerald Clarke (Cahuilla), Artists
Panel discussion with participants moderated by Joe Horse Capture

Understanding the Challenges of Returning Cultural Heritage Items

James Bier (Chumash), Director, Santa Ynez Museum
Michael Black Wolf (A’aniiih), Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, Montana
Sven Haakanson (Alutiiq) Professor and Curator, University of Washington
Panel discussion with participants moderated by Joe Horse Capture

Welcome and Introduction: Joe Horse Capture

International Repatriation Efforts

Nancy E. Weiss, Esq., Kaminstein Scholar in Residence, Library of Congress, former General Counsel of the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services
Lyssa C. Stapleton, Director, The Waystation Initiative, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA
Henrietta Lidchi, Director, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, Santa Fe, NM
Panel discussion with participants moderated by Amanda Wixon

Repatriation and Introduction of ATALM's Going Home Fund: Rick West

Richard West, Jr. (Cheyenne), Former President and CEO, Autry Museum of American West, and Founding Director of Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
- Overview of big picture repatriation
- Overview of ATALM's Going Home Fund and its objectives
Success stories and case studies of repatriation projects supported by the fund
- Evan Mathis (Eastern Band of Cherokee descent), Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Museum of the Cherokee People
- Jordan Poorman Cocker (Kiowa), Curator of Indigenous Art, Crystal Bridges Museum
Q&A Session: Audience interaction and discussion with ATALM representatives

Closing: Joe Horse Capture

Autry Museum of the American West

2024 Marshall McKay Seminar for Empowering Native Knowledge | Going Home: Returning Material Culture to Native Communities

Presented by

Land Acknowledgment

Autry Museum of the American West