Reply To: Who owns the past?

[Sam Saccomen]

I think this is a tricky question about who should claim certain artifacts. I know many problems arise when talking who should claim an artifact, however sometimes I believe who ever the artifact is owned by shouldn’t matter but the purpose for the artifact which is to teach the world about our ancestors is most important. It is hard for everyone to learn about their culture if the culture who owns the artifact is claimed by a culture who can’t easily explain the meaning of the artifact. I believe the culture should work with other cultures to help the world fully understand these cultures however, it is hard to work with other cultures because of the cultural barriers. I believe that if a culture no longer exist it is very important that a decision is made quickly on who will ultimately claim the artifact so the world can get a broader image of this culture so the culture isn’t forgotten.