Waystation Workshop: Challenges in Ethical Stewardship and Restitution

The focus of the inaugural Waystation Workshop is on challenges that may arise as the Waystation Initiative and educational programs move forward. The issues defined below are a response to supportive and critical input from several authoritative voices. We wish to acknowledge in particular the expertise and acute assessments of Ioanna Kakoulli, Glenn Wharton, Miriam Stark, and Stephen Nash. We also thank our advisory board for defining topics for the workshop and for their excellent suggestions for discussants. 

During the past two decades, attitudes regarding the ownership of ethnological and archaeological material have changed drastically and institutions as well as individuals are acknowledging the violent history of war and colonialism attached to the collecting of many objects. Every year, UCLA faculty are contacted by members of the public seeking assistance in returning cultural material. Simultaneously, museums are more frequently refusing to accept donations that lack proof of legal and ethical acquisition. Objects that can no longer be donated are “orphaned” and are often resold on the art market. The Waystation’s focus on orphaned collections gives agency and restorative justice to descendant communities and nations of origin; it redefines the value of objects by removing them from the art market and foregrounding their cultural value; it addresses the unique problem of orphaned collections and; it teaches students indemand skills. The Waystation Initiative is designed to inspire mutual respect and appreciation and encourage partnership among nations and peoples. 

The Waystation will not retain objects indefinitely or build a permanent collection. Rather, objects and collections that enter the program will transition through the Waystation on their way back to the nation or community of origin. The logistics of this process will vary according the object and the wishes of the nation or community. The Waystation is establishing standards for temporary or transitional stewardship as well as research and restitution that will put many new ideals, ethics, and attitudes regarding the ownership and care of ethnological and archaeological material into practice. The Waystation will address the problem of orphaned collections by becoming a central resource for a wide range of stakeholders who aspire to engage in foreword-thinking dialogue about the stewardship of cultural heritage. 

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