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In the British Museum in London, England, pieces like those in the photo hang from floor to ceiling.

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Newsela - Should stolen metal sculptures be returned to African creators?

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Will Nigeria settle for just borrowing prized metal sculptures that British seized in 1897?

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Scientists and historians around the world are excited about the new museum.

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Newsela - Egypt’s ancient treasures will come together in a new museum

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Treasures of the pyramids will soon have a permanent home in Egypt’s new mega-museum.

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A Berlin museum returned ancient religious artifacts to a group of native Alaskans.

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By the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands had colonized many African and Asian countries.

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When we visit museums, we see cultural artifacts -- from everyday household items to precious carvings and statues, that give us glimpses into the diverse cultures and communities from around the world.

However, controversy surrounds these artifacts and whether or not countries should return these pieces of culture if they were stolen or forcefully taken during colonization.

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the Dutch advisory committee officially released a national report agreeing to the return of cultural artifacts that were stolen from its previous colonies such as Indonesia, Suriname, and islands on the Caribbean. Through these actions, the Dutch government acknowledges the unfair treatment the colonies had previously experienced and demonstrates respect for the culture of these countries.

Let's look at the issue and the two sides of the debate.

Stolen Artifacts

By the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands had colonized many African and Asian countries. During their rule, they either seized artifacts or took them as spoils of wars, and brought them to their own countries where they are now displayed in museums.

Over the years, European museums have received requests for the return of artifacts. In 2009, Egypt demanded that the Louvre Museum of Paris, France return five looted pieces of a wall painting from the tomb of Tekati. In 2012, Nigeria asked for the restoration of thirty-two cultural items from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2017, the Government of Benin in West Africa negotiated with the British Museum in London to return their renowned Benin Bronzes, a collection of thousands of metal sculptures and plaques, which were previously hung in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin.

The debate regarding this issue took a turn in 2018 when under President Emmanuel Macron, a report was released that directed that all heritage objects brought to French museums (without the permission of their original countries) be restored. With the official release of this report, museums all across Europe began reconsidering their previous policies on colonial treasures.

In France, twenty-seven artifacts had been identified for restoration, but only one -- a traditional sword belonging to Senegal, has been returned. Then, on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, France's National Assembly officially passed a bill guaranteeing the return of these heritage artifacts, twenty-six of which alone belonged to Benin.

The Debate

Those who propose returning these objects to their original homes argue that with technology enabling virtual museum tours, returning these artifacts to their homeland does not take away the opportunity to learn about them. Furthermore, the country of origin will receive a significant part of their heritage back, and these artifacts will be given a chance to be truly appreciated under proper historical context.

Those against the restoration claim that culture is a shared treasure and the artifacts are in fact "cultural ambassadors" that promote tolerance and understanding. They believe that while stealing them was wrong, history is full of "good" and "bad" actors. Moreover, they feel that keeping the cultural objects in the current museums have kept millions of artifacts safe from disfiguration and damage.
Which side of the debate do you fall on?
Sources: NYTimes, Guardian, Historyextra, perspecsnews.com

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If you visit the British Museum or the Louvre in Paris, you will find incredible treasures from Africa and Asia. However, many of these were looted and there is a debate raging. Let's find out.

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In this video, they are basically talking about if the British museums Return looted objects

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Should the British Museum Return Looted Objects? I The Unfiltered History Tour

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For thousands of years the culture of ancient Eqypt has been admired and coveted May 25, 2010 some of the greatest artifacts of Eqyptian culture are found thousands of miles away from the land that created them.

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Egypt Wants Treasures Back | National Geographic

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In terms of loans, the Trustees of the British Museum have always been clear that they will "Consider that Ethiopian can be a borrower of it's own it can be taken unlawfully to point out that there were three incidence where some of the looted items were returned to Ethiopia.

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Why are looted Ethiopian treasures still in Britain? | The Stream

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In this article, Repatriation is the return of stolen or looted cultural materials to their countries of origin.

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Repatriating artworks (article) | Khan Academy

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In this article, the truth is that many of the pieces currently on display in British museums have stories behind how they were brought to the UK.

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The Benin Bronzes, the Parthenon Marbles and the Easter Island heads - they've been on display in museums for years, so why is everyone talking about them now?

The truth is that many of the pieces currently on display in British museums have controversial stories behind how they were brought to the UK.

Is it right for Britain to continue to look after the art in our museums, or should they be returned to the places they came from?

We want you to decide.

Play our game to find out the stories behind the museum pieces and comment below with your thoughts.

Why is everyone talking about this now?

The reason that this story is in the news is because lots of people have been asking for art to be returned to the countries they originally came from.

One of the most famous examples of this are the Parthenon Marbles,also sometimes called the Elgin Marbles.

In the 19th century, hundreds of marbles from the Parthenon - a famous Greek temple built nearly 2,500 years ago - were taken by a British man named Lord Elgin.

The marbles were incredibly well-received in Britain and continue to be a popular exhibit in the British Museum today.

But many people remain shocked at the way the marbles were taken.

They feel that the marbles were not lawfully given to Lord Elgin, and that they should be returned to the Parthenon in Greece.

More recently there has been debate over the two Easter Island heads that are on display in the British Museum.

The people of Rapa Nui, where the heads (called moai) were taken from, believe that the heads do not belong in Britain.

They claim to feel spiritually attached to the statues, which were taken from the island in the 19th century by British sailor Richard Powell and presented as a gift to Queen Victoria.

This week, French president Emmanuel Macron has announced that he plans on returning 26 works of art to the Republic of Benin, Africa, which were originally taken during wars in the 19th century.

Britain currently has hundreds of pieces of art, known as Benin Bronzes, that were taken during a war with the Kingdom of Benin (now part of Nigeria).

After calls for their return to Nigeria, the British Museum (which holds nearly 700 Benin Bronzes) are discussing loaning these works back to Nigeria.

Why were so many works of art taken?

At this point you might have noticed a trend in when all these artefacts were taken - the 19th century.

This was a period of huge change for the world - an era in which rich and technologically advanced countries like Britain, France and Portugal wanted to expand their empires by invading other countries and taking control of their resources.

This is called colonialism. At the time, many Britons saw their presence in other countries as a positive thing - they thought it was helping their economy and that the countries would benefit from adopting British customs.

But history often sees this period as an era of brutality, because many of these countries and their people were exploited and persecuted by the colonial rulers.

What are the arguments for keeping the art?

British museums which display art taken during the colonial era argue that there are good reasons for keeping many of these works in the UK.

They say that the art is well protected and cared for in our museums, and that these pieces allow people to appreciate works of countries and cultures they might not ever have been able to experience.

Furthermore, some argue that if every country claimed their works of art back, there would be very few things left to see in the museums.

Some say the stories behind the art are part of the display, and former colonial countries should not hide from their history.

If you say yes to one you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron commenting on the possible return of the Koh-I-Noor Diamond to India

What are the arguments for returning the art?

There is not much evidence that the art was taken with permission.

Some would argue the right thing to do is to return the art from where it was taken.

They also suggest that there is more value in seeing the art in the countries in which it was made.

The British taking the moai from our island is like me going into your house and taking your grandfather to display in my living room...

Anakena Manutomatoma, representative from Rapa Nui

We want to know what you think.

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Why are people saying these works of art are 'stolen'? - CBBC Newsround

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The Benin Bronzes, the Parthenon Marbles and the Easter Island heads - they've been on display in museums for years, so why is everyone talking about them now? The truth is that many of the pieces currently on display in British museums have controversial stories behind how they were brought to the UK.

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The Native American exhibit at the Ethnological Museums in Berlin, Germany, has hundreds of items on display. They include clay pots and woven baskets

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But at a ceremony this past spring, nine items from the collection were returned to Alaska's Native community. They included wooden burial masks and a baby basket. The items had been stolen from a gravesite.

"At the time, these objects were taken without the of the Alaska Natives," Hermann Parzinger, a museum official, said at the May 16 event. "So they do not belong in our museums."

John Johnson accepted the objects. He represents the Chugach Alaska Corporation. He helps reclaim items that belonged to his ancestors.

A Way Forward

In 2013, dozens of Hopi objects were sold in France. Members of the Hopi tribe tried to stop the sale. They said the objec represented the spirits of their ancestors. But France does not have laws banning the sale of such objects.

RALF HIRSCHBERGER/PICTURE ALLIANCE/GETTY IMAGES

Eventually, the items will be given to a Chugach tribe. They will be displayed at a local museum to teach Alaska's history. Johnson says this is just one of the outcomes of building relationships with museums. "The best part about it," he says, "is it encourages other museums to work closely with tribes. That's so important."

Home at Last

Stolen items in museums around the world are being returned to their native lands.

Bringing Home the Bronze

GEORGE HOLTON

The Kingdom of Benin was in present-day Nigeria. Its royal palace was decorated with bronze sculptures. But in 1897, British soldiers stole the Benin Bronzes. They shipped them across Europe. Now museum officials have agreed to loan them to Nigeria. To prepare for the homecoming, Nigeria will build a museum to display them.
A Soldier's Return
ATTA KENARE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

More than 80 years ago, part of an ancient sculpture of a Persian soldier was stolen in Iran. It was found in a museum in Canada. But it was stolen again. It turned up at an art fair in New York City in 2017. A judge ruled it should be returned to Iran. In October 2018, it was displayed in Iran's National Museum.

Note: A previous version of the story included images of Hopi sacred objects. They have been removed at the request of the Hopi tribe. We have also removed the word mask from the story.
Assessment: Click for a printable quiz. Teacher subscribers can find the answer key in this week's Teacher's Guide.

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Note: This article may be sensitive to Hopi people. The Native American exhibit at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin, Germany, has hundreds of items on display. They include clay pots and woven baskets. Many of the items were collected in...