Reply To: Who owns the past?

[Aubri Stogsdill]

This argument is pretty complex. I can totally see how any of these perspectives could be taken and defended. Personally, I believe these artifacts belong to humanity as a whole, and yet each situation is so different. There are plenty of artifacts that no one is pining to ‘retrieve’ in order to hold onto their culture, and at the same time I am sure there are plenty of people groups who want their ancient artifacts to be given back in order to hold their historical culture sacred. To be so cut and dry about ‘who’ deserves to keep every item that is found seems pretty narrow minded. We all own the past, and for each piece that is found, a different discussion needs to be had in order to properly assign where the piece should live. I do think there are individuals who have selfish motives behind finding artifacts (ie. making a ton of money off of them). Being aware of the need to value and preserve the past and respect the ancestors of those who are living today, and making a conscious effort to celebrate and uncover the past at the same time is so important. Each situation is different, so we must approach them differently.