THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE ANSWER TO ALL THIS AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS EFFORTS TO GIVE A ANSWER ARE IN VAIN AND OFTEN ABSURD. THINGS ARE DEMANDED THAT THE PERSON OR GROUP DOSEN'T REALLY WANT THEY JUST WANT TO FORCE SOMEONE TO GIVE UP SOMETHING AND MAKE THAT GROUP OR ORGAINIZATION LOOK BAD WHILE APPEARING TO BE THE GOOD GUYS AND GETTING MEDIA ATTENTION. THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE BUT THESE DAYS TOO OFTEN IS. MANY TIMES THE ONES DEMANDING THE RETURN OF THE TRIBAL TREASURES ARE NOT EVEN MEMBERS OF THE TRIBE AND ARE OFTEN ONLY INTERESTED IN THE ATTENTION AND MEDIA COVERAGE AND PERHAPS THEY CAN GET SOME DONATIONS TO THEIR CAUSE THRU THE COVERAGE. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THERE WAS A EX PRESEDINT WHO SOLD A PRECOLUMBIAN GOLD RELIC FOR OVER A MILLION TO TWO GUYS WHO BROUGHT IT TO THE USA TO SELL AT A FAMOUS AUCTION HOUSE. SOMEONE TURNED THEM IN AND THE OBJECT WAS CONFISCATED THEY WERE FINED LOTS OF MONEY AND LOCKED UP. THE OBJECT WAS SENT BACK TO THE PEOPLE WHO SOLD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE, ANYONE WANT TO BUY IT AGAIN?
LATELY THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF GROUPS WANTING TO RE-WRITE HISTORY TO THEIR ADVANTAGE AND THE DISADVANTAGE OF OTHERS REGARDLESS OF ITS ACCURACY.
THE OTHER SIDE TO THIS IS THAT THERE MAY BE SOME OBJECTS IN MUSEUMS THAT ARE DOING NO GOOD THERE AND WOULD BE TREASURED BY THE DECENDENTS OF A GROUP OR RELIGION. THERE MAY ALSO BE SOME ITEMS THAT ARE ONE OF A KIND AND VERY IMPORTANT TO A TRIBE, NATION OR RELIGION, IF POSSIBLE I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO RETURN THEM. IT WOULD BE UNFAIR HOWEVER TO FORCE A MUSEUM OR PERSON TO GIVE IT BACK FOR FREE IF HE HAD A LOT OF MONEY IN IT, THEY SHOULD BE REIMBURSED AT LEAST WHAT THEY PAYED OR A FAIR PRICE. KIND OF LIKE MARKS FAMILY SWORD IT WAS WORTH MORE TO HIM THAN TO A MUSEUM OR OTHER COLLECTOR BUT INSTEAD OF DEMANDING THEY GIVE IT UP FOR FREE HE PAID A FAIR PRICE FOR IT SO EVERYONE IS HAPPY.
WAR TROPHYS ARE OFTEN GOTTEN BY RISKING ONES LIFE AND TRADITIONALY LOOTING HAS BEEN PART OF IT (WAR IS NOT A PRETTY THING). I WISH WE COULD EVOLVE BEYOND IT AS A SPECIES BUT LOOKING AT THE LEADERS OF MANY COUNTRYS AND KNOWING WHAT THEY WOULD DO IF THEY HAD THE POWER IT LOOKS TO BE A VERY LONG WAY IN THE FUTURE IF THE SPECIES SURVIVES. THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY THEFT SHOULD BE RETURNED IF YOU CATCH THE THEIF OR IF THE ONE WHO BUYS IT KNOWS IT IS A HOT ITEM. IF THE BUYER TRULY DIDN'T KNOW PERHAPS SOMETHING FAIR CAN BE WORKED OUT? POOR PEOPLE WHO LOOT THEIR COUNTRYS PAST HISTORY TO MAKE A LIVING IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME AND WILL ALWAYS BE IF THERE ARE POOR AND SOME WITH ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY. IT IS GOOD WHEN A STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING LIKE IN THE POST THAT STARTED THIS DISCUSSION.
THE LAWS THAT NO OBJECT OVER 100 YEARS OLD CAN LEAVE A COUNTRY EVEN IF MOST OF THE OBJECTS ARE COMMON AS DIRT AND WORTHLESS TO THE LOCAL PEOPLE IS AN ESPECIALLY SILLY ONE. LAWS THAT SET ASIDE THE BEST AREAS FOR COLLECTING FOSSILS AND ALLOW THEM TO WEATHER OUT AND BE DESTROYED BECAUSE THE MUSEUMS DON'T NEED ANY MORE SPECIMINS CAUSE A LOT OF SPECIMINS THAT WOULD BE TREASURED BY COLLECTORS TO BE DESTROYED FOREVER. TO TAKE A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF NATIVE ART FROM A MUSEUM AND GIVE IT TO A GROUP WHO WILL TAKE IT OUT AND DESTROY IT BY BURYING IT OR BURNING IT IS ALSO A FOOLISH THING TO DO, AS SOME OF THE DECENDANTS WOULD RATHER TREASURE IT AND KEEP IT. UNFORTUNATELY OFTEN MORE THINGS ARE LOST FOREVER DUE TO SUCH LAWS THAN ARE PROTECTED BY THEM. FOR INSTANCE MOST OF THE REAL OLD WEAPONS IN CHINA WOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE TO HAVE OR SELL SO WOULD NOT BE TAKEN CARE OF OR HIDDEN LEADING TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. THE OTHER SIDE IS THAT THEY MAKE LOTS OF NICE FAKES TO SELL WHILE MOST OF THE AUTHENTIC STUFF IS POORLY STORED OR DESTROYED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
THIS IS JUST MY WAY OF LOOKING AT THESE TOPICS AND I AM NOT ATTACKING ANY GROUP OR ITS IDEAS ,BUT I FIND THAT THE HUMAN RACE FOR ALL ITS SUPPOSED INTELLEGENCE OFTEN MISSES THE MARK ON WHAT WAS INTENDED AND ADDS TO OR CREATES NEW PROBLEMS. BEING ONLY HUMAN I AT LEAST KNOW I AM NOT SMART ENOUGH TO SOLVE THE WORLDS PROBLEMS.