Archival Repatriation Committee Testimonials

The Archival Repatriation Committee is soliciting testimonials of archival repatriation, broadly construed as defined in the newly adopted Principles in Indigenous Archival Repatriation (PINAR).

We especially invite examples of efforts to physically return archival collections or documents, or to transfer ownership and control of such collections to traditional owners or Indigenous nations. 

We welcome examples that were successful, unsuccessful, or mixed in outcome, and positive, negative, or mixed in impact. 

We hope that compiling these examples from community members and archivists will provide guidance for new policy and compelling examples for institutional leadership and lawmakers who might continue this work with other communities.

If you are interested, stay tuned for an interest form, and our team will be in touch!

Note: if you have a broader example or project you would like to share that incorporates Native or Indigenous principles, but does not fit the narrower purview of these repatriation testimonials, the Native American Archives Section (NAAS) is running a parallel effort to publish examples of Indigenous archival sovereignty work in both community and non-community institutions. To learn more, see the NAAS Case Studies page.