Repatriating Simon’s Outfit to the Tohono O’odham Nation

Tohono O’odham Cultural Affairs Specialist Samuel Fayuant describes the process of repatriating more than 120 cultural items to the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona from the American Museum of Natural History’s ethnographic collection.

In 1911, explorer Carl Lumholtz sold hundreds of items he collected from the Tohono O’odham people to the American Museum of Natural History. In 2021, the Museum welcomed five Tohono O’odham Nation representatives to complete the repatriation of more than 120 of those items—including one particularly storied ceremonial outfit belonging to a man called Simon—from the Division of Anthropology’s ethnographic collection. Cultural Affairs Specialist Samuel Fayuant describes the process, which began with consultations in 2019, and shares information about the sacred Vikita ceremony where Simon’s outfit would have been worn and what it means to his community for these items to return home.

#NAGPRA #Repatriation #TohonoOodham #Anthropology

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