Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits, Why Repatriation Matters – Flagstaff

In recent years, the return of human remains and sacred objects has transformed museums and Native American communities. Dr. Colwell describes how this repatriation unfolded and why it matters by following the trail of a scalp taken in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. He traces the path as the scalp was removed and transformed into a war trophy, commodity, artifact, and finally back into the remains of a human worthy of respect. The process negotiates blurry lines between law and morality, politics and history, science and spirituality.

Chip Colwell

Senior Curator of Anthropology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

For more information, contact: Melissa Cohen at melissa.cohen@nau.edu