Machu Picchu
The controversy between the collections of Machu Picchu and Yale University
How can society educate individuals about the different cultures, as well as the history they left behind? Society teaches individuals by displaying the works in a museum, in which educates individuals about a cultures history. Museums are able to preserve, protect, educate, as well as display the collection in order for individuals to understand more about that culture. Even though the priority of a museum is to share the cultures historical background, most cultures find it offensive about how these objects are being displayed as well as the fact that these objects have been stolen from them. This particular problem is seen between the Peruvian citizens and Yale University, about how the collections should be given back to the people or stay with the University. These collections at Yale University are doing a specific job by educating individuals, although they are still considered to be known as stolen pieces. I will be taking a position from my knowledge about museums, and arguing the fact that these collections should be returned to the Peruvian people. The controversy that has been going on for years between the Peruvian citizens and Yale University, all started with a young archeologist named Hiram Bingham. Hiram Bingham was a young archeologist who worked for Yale University. When he began to hear many stories about the lost cities in Peru, he decided to take a trip to visit these cities. The Peruvian government had a law on the Inca artifacts, whatever was taken from them had to be given back within two years. Now this is where the controversy begins. Hiram Bingham stole many artifacts from Machu Picchu, that were documented and then sent to Yale University. Yale University signed an agreement stating how in two years they would return everything to the citizens of Peru. Of course we all know that this never happened, and the Peruvian government sued Yale University for
How can society educate individuals about the different cultures, as well as the history they left behind? Society teaches individuals by displaying the works in a museum, in which educates individuals about a cultures history. Museums are able to preserve, protect, educate, as well as display the collection in order for individuals to understand more about that culture. Even though the priority of a museum is to share the cultures historical background, most cultures find it offensive about how these objects are being displayed as well as the fact that these objects have been stolen from them. This particular problem is seen between the Peruvian citizens and Yale University, about how the collections should be given back to the people or stay with the University. These collections at Yale University are doing a specific job by educating individuals, although they are still considered to be known as stolen pieces. I will be taking a position from my knowledge about museums, and arguing the fact that these collections should be returned to the Peruvian people. The controversy that has been going on for years between the Peruvian citizens and Yale University, all started with a young archeologist named Hiram Bingham. Hiram Bingham was a young archeologist who worked for Yale University. When he began to hear many stories about the lost cities in Peru, he decided to take a trip to visit these cities. The Peruvian government had a law on the Inca artifacts, whatever was taken from them had to be given back within two years. Now this is where the controversy begins. Hiram Bingham stole many artifacts from Machu Picchu, that were documented and then sent to Yale University. Yale University signed an agreement stating how in two years they would return everything to the citizens of Peru. Of course we all know that this never happened, and the Peruvian government sued Yale University for
Cited: Cuno, James, “Museums, Antiquities, Cultural Property, and the US Legal Framework for Making Acquisitions,” in Who Owns The Past Cultural Policy, Cultural Property, and The Law, ed. Kate Fitz Gibbon. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2005. [Video Link:] Heaney, Christopher, “National Geographic Live: Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham and Machu Picchu, Lecture, National Geographic Society, August 1, 2011, http://youtu.be/Gdgw8wyh24I Heaney, Christopher. "Returns," in Cradle of Gold: The Story of Hiram Bingham, A Real-Life Indiana Jones, and the Search for Machu Picchu. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, pp. 222-235. Brilliant, Richard, “Do Objects Have Rights,” Art Bulletin, 73, 1991, pp 534-535. “Digging into Peru deliberations,” Yale Daily News, Tuesday, February 15, 2011, part 2 of 3, http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/15/digging-peru-deliberations/ “Unpacking artifacts’ future in Peru,” Yale Daily News, Wednesday, February 16, 2011, part 3 of 3, http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/feb/16/unpacking-artifacts-future-peru/