ACTIONS
- Protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage
- Learning and educational opportunities
- Cultural participation/social inclusion
- Sustainable tourism
- Support research
- Employment (recruiting, training, safety)
- Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions
- Waste management and reduction
- Transport (forms of, energy use)
- Commercial activities including copyright and IP
- Governance and management
- Security, disaster preparedness, risk reduction
- External partnerships and collaborations
SDGs
- Toolkit/framework/roadmap
- Guide to make repatriation claims
NMAI A Step-by-step Guide Through the Repatriation Process
Intended Audience
Groups and communities considering making repatriation requests to the National Museum of the American Indian or the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
- National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Smithsonian Institution
“Repatriation is the process whereby certain types of Native American cultural items are returned to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and corporations, and Native Hawaiian organizations. Human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony are legally defined categories of items that may be considered for repatriation. Additionally, in accordance with longstanding Smithsonian policy, the NMAI may return any objects acquired by or transferred to the NMAI illegally. This manual will guide you step by step through the repatriation process, from gathering the information needed to make a formal request to the successful repatriation of your cultural items.” (p.2)
“Repatriation of eligible materials within the NMAI collections is a five-step process initiated by tribes or lineal descendants. This guide will provide some assistance on these steps, as well as examples of letters required at key stages of the repatriation process.” (p.5)
Avaiable in
- English
SDGs LINKAGES
Implementing the resource supports a number of SDG targets relating to the rule of law and ownership of cultural property, including 1.4 (access, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, including inheritance), 10.2 (promoting universal social, economic and political inclusion of all), 10.3 (eliminating discriminatory policies and practices), 10.4 (adopting policies and practices that support inclusion and sustainable development) and 11.4 (strengthening efforts to protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage).
Ensuring collections are returned to their rightful owners supports SDG 16.3 (support the rule of law), and returning stolen or illegally held property supports SDG 16.4 (combat illicit flows, strengthen recovery of stolen assets). Effective institutions and relationships supports 16.6 (effective, accountable and transparent institutions), and ensuring decisions are made in inclusive and participatory ways with relevant communities and their representatives supports SDG 16.7, as well as SDG 16.10 (support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights) and 16.B (uphold and promote laws and policies for sustainable development).
Ensuring policies and practices are compliant with broader sustainable development supports SDG 17.14 (policy coherence) Close partnership working with source communities supports SDGs 17.16 (global and international partnerships) and 17.17 (cross-sector, local and national partnerships for sustainable development).
Ensuring source communities are able to access and make use of their cultural heritage relies on their access to infrastructure (including museums) for social inclusion and economic development (9.1), and also ensures they can draw on heritage as part of SDGs 4.5 (eliminate barriers in education) and 4.7 (Education for Sustainable Development).
Click on the SDG Target to discover Our Collections Matter indicators
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers and proportions of people from particular groups using collections in comparison with demographics in broader society.
- Numbers of people accessing collections.
- Number of targeted programmes that aim to enhance access to collections by disadvantaged groups.
- Sustainable tourism that enhances local communities’ access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property (including cultural and natural heritage), as well as to technology and markets.
- Involvement of people from disadvantaged groups in decision-making activities and processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to eliminate gender disparities in education.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of persons with disabilities.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of Indigenous peoples’ groups.
- Number of educational and/or training programmes drawing on collections directed to meet the particular needs of children in vulnerable situations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Numbers of people in each type of programme drawing on collections from different demographic groups.
- Increases in numbers of people in each type of programme from different demographic groups.
- Proportion of people involved in such programmes in relation to overall audience size.
- Evidence that learners have acquired knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Development of research-useful collections to support reliable, sustainable and resilient use by researchers and others.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that support economic development and human well-being.
- Number and proportion of collections facilities and stores that provide affordable and equitable access for all.
- Investment in collections facilities.
- Inclusion of collections information in regional and transborder initiatives, notably via digital access for discoverability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development to ensure that collections effectively meet the needs of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
- Number and proportion of educational and participatory programmes that promote participation irrespective of social or other status.
- Numbers and proportions of people making use of collections in relation to the demographic of the local population.
- Numbers and proportions of people involved in focused programmes aimed at promoting social, economic and political inclusion.
- Numbers and proportions of people from different demographic groups involved in decision-making processes relating to collections and collections-based institutions.
- Number and types of partnerships that build relationships with marginalized groups, individuals and communities.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of discriminatory policies and practices, with clear plans to address these, to ensure equal opportunity for all and reduce inequalities of outcome.
- Collections development to uphold and promote legislation and anti-discriminatory perspectives, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Education and participatory programmes that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Research that supports anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
- Participation in partnerships that promote anti-discriminatory legislation, policies and action, with the aim of reducing inequality within and between countries.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and proportion of policies that proactively address equality issues relating to fiscal, wage and social protection considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Total expenditure (public and private) per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by type of heritage.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the safe use of collections for a variety of purposes, protecting and safeguarding both collections and those who use them.
- Plans, policies and procedures in place for the identification, safeguarding and protection of cultural and natural heritage at risk.
- Collecting programmes in place to protect, safeguard and make use of cultural and natural heritage, addressing the needs of communities and stakeholders, and ensuring that collections can be an effective resource for sustainable development.
- Number and diversity of educational, awareness-raising, research programmes, and partnerships that aim to strengthen protection of cultural and natural heritage.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Collections development that relates to the rule of law, equality before the law, and justice for all.
- Number of activities drawing on collections, for example educational, research and partnership activities, that promote the rule of law at national and international levels, and that promote a culture of lawfulness, and the right of all to justice.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Identification of stolen assets, return of stolen assets.
- Collections development, education, awareness-raising and partnership activities relating to organized crime, with a view to combatting organized crime everywhere.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of the population [audience/users/non-users] satisfied with their last experience of public services.
- Access to information, and accountability policies and mechanisms, in place.
- Effective institutional arrangements, both for own working and for working in partnership with other sectors, in place.
- Plans and arrangements in place for extraordinary circumstances such as natural and human-caused disasters.
- Effective arrangements in place to fulfil legal and social obligations and responsibilities.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent communication and reporting of institutional performance.
- Effective arrangements in place for transparent decision-making and accountability.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportions of positions (by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups) in public institutions (national and local legislatures, public service, and judiciary) compared to national distributions.
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group.
- Decision-making addresses societal, environmental and economic challenges related to the community, considering short-term and long-term risks and opportunities.
- Decision-making draws on diverse backgrounds, viewpoints and interests, reflecting a broad base of stakeholders, and working to promote inclusion and provide effective services for all of society.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to enhance public access to information relating to collections.
- Plans in place, and plans implemented to support fundamental freedoms, in line with human rights, national and international agreements and legislation.
- Plans and procedures in place for public access to information relating to the operation and management of collections-based institutions.
- Complaint mechanism in place for public to use where public access to information and fundamental freedoms not supported or fulfilled.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of population [audience/users/non-users] reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law.
- Number and proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, in the full sense of recognizing all three of social, economic and environmental considerations.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Proportion of policies that incorporate sustainable development considerations, linking to SDGs and targets.
- Incorporation of policy considerations from outside the collections sector into policies of collections-based institutions, to facilitate partnerships and effectiveness.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of global and international multi-stakeholder partnerships involving developing countries that share collection-related knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources to address the SDGs.
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Our Collections Matter indicators:
- Amount of United States dollars committed to public-private and civil society partnerships.
- Number and/or increase in number, and diversity of local, national and regional multi-stakeholder (public, public-private and civil society) partnerships that address the SDGs drawing on collections, or that otherwise involve collections-based organisations and institutions.