Repatriation:
The act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship
Recently I tried to give back to St Mary’s College in Moraga these two items found on or near the ancient Saklan village site known to exist at that Location
I had been contacted by the college.
My name is Myrna Santiago. I am in the History department at Saint Mary’s College. Vera Kochan has alerted me that you have a mortar that a friend of yours found on the premises
of the College and that harkens to the Saklan people who inhabited this territory.
The History department would absolutely love to accept the mortar from you, if you deemed that possible. We are working hard right now on creating a program on Museum Studies and it would be amazing to have a piece like this for our classes and students and whatever collection we might have at the Museum. (I confess that I have never seen any indigenous pieces at the Art Museum, but they could be out of sight).
Although I selfishly like having and holding these items in my hands I took them out there and met her but she could not confirm that they have any collection whatsoever of found items or that any more than a handful of people had any awareness that there was ever a major Saklan village on the site.
She is looking further into it. I still have them.
It is complicated.