Native American scalps at Karl May Museum
The Karl May Museum in Radebeul, Germany, includes in its collection 17 scalps, some of them from Native Americans. Native American tribes have been requesting their return since 2013.
Museum history[edit]
Opened in 1928, the museum is dedicated to the life and work of German author Karl May (1842–1912), who wrote many books about the American frontier and Native Americans featuring the fictional characters Winnetou (a Mescalero-Apache Chief) and Old Shatterhand (a white European settler). Mays' books were popular in Germany and created a mystique about the "Wild West" in German popular culture.[1]
The museum was founded by May's widow and an eccentric Austrian named Ernst Tobis, who was a fan of May's work and had travelled to the American frontier, and liked to tell tall tales about his time there.[1] Tobis donated a large collection of artifacts to help found the museum's collection, which included 17 scalps, some of them from Native Americans.[1][2]
Ownership dispute[edit]
In the US, displaying scalps has not been allowed since 1990; according to the South China Morning Post, US activists have sought the return of the scalps from Karl May since 2010.[3] Berlin-based journalist Mark Worth brought the scalps to the attention of Karen Little Coyote of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, who wrote a letter asking for the scalps to be returned in the fall of 2013.[4]
In 2013, the German Museums Association issued a guideline on the care of human remains, listing scalps from peoples who "fashioned trophies from the heads of their killed enemies" as an exception to "human remains acquired in a context of injustice".[1]
In March 2014, Cecil E. Pavlat, who works on return of artifacts for the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, wrote a letter asking for return of the scalps.[1][5]
Later in 2014, the Museum agreed to turn the scalps over to another institution for authentication.[6]
The Museum had not returned the scalps as of 2016, saying there were doubts about the original story of the provenance of the 17 scalps,[2] although they did remove them from public display.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Eddy, Melissa (17 August 2014). "Germany's fascination with American old West, Native American scalps human remains". New York Times. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Knight, Ben (2 February 2016). "Karl May Museum hangs on to Native American scalp". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ↑ "Karl May Museum under fire over display of Native American scalps". South China Morning Post. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
For four years, United States activists have been calling for the return of the scalps. The display of scalps has been banned in the US since 1990.
- ↑ Knight, Ben (10 March 2014). "Wild West museum in row over Native American scalps". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ↑ Oltermann, Philip (10 March 2014). "German museum in row with US activists over tribal scalps". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ↑ Haircrow, Red (14 June 2014). "An agreement is reached regarding scalps at the Karl May Museum". Indian Country Today. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ↑ King, Lisa Michelle. "Revisiting Winnetou: The Karl May Museum, Cultural Appropriation, and Indigenous Self-Representation". Project Muse.
Additional sources[edit]
- Lewis, Joy Schaleben (29 Mar 1992). "Action of `der Wilde West' alive in Germany". The Grand Rapids Press. Grand Rapids, Mich. p. C6 – via Proquest.
External links[edit]
This article "Native American scalps at Karl May Museum" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Native American scalps at Karl May Museum. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
