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Monday, October 29, 2007

Giving it back


Peace,
Can you imagine if someone rolled up in George Washington's grave and jacked his body? Can you imagine if someone rolled into a musuem and just took some Americana? All Hell would break loose (and there would probably be a war for good measure). Yet this is what the Europe did all throughout its history of slavery, colonizing and
imperialism. To this day they still hold Egyptian artifacts hostage in America and England. France has its share of artifacts. They actually make huge excuses to get
around the fact that they stole those riches and have no right to them. That is why this article is a small victory at making thieves accountable.

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(originally posted at http://www.wtnh.com/global/story.asp?s=7153712)

Yale agrees to return Peruvian artifacts
Yale agrees to return Peruvian artifacts - story by Tina Detelj

by News Channel 8's Tina Detelj
Posted Oct. 1, 2007
5:35 PM

New Haven (WTNH) _ Yale University's fight to keep ancient artifacts it's watched for more than 90 years is over.

Yale has agreed to return hundreds of ancient artifacts found by legendary archeologist, Hiram Bingham, in Peru's ancient city of Machu Picchu.

The Bingham family compound in Salem is where Dr. David Bingham would play as a child and where the spirit of his grandfather, famed explorer Hiram Bingham III, lives on.

"So we have a lot of memorabilia. We have no artifacts. The artifacts he believed belonged to history," said Dr. Bingham.

The Peruvian artifacts were kept at Yale University's Peabody Museum for decades. They were brought there by Bingham from the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, The Peruvian city above the clouds.

"People that go there feel that it's very much a spiritual experience," said Dr. Bingham.

The artifacts were excavated in 1912 and more recently have been at the center of a tug of war between Yale and the Peruvian government. Last week Yale agreed to return the artifacts to Peru.

"The family's happy that this relationship is one that will be ongoing. I think that that's the most important thing is that history and science will be served well and education," said Dr. Bingham.

Dr. Bingham like many in his family has been able to go to the once lost city of Machu Picchu. However most people discover it through the displays which Dr. Bingham says will not be lost.

Dr. Bingham says that's "because a lot of this will be in a moving exhibit which goes from country to country, so the people all over the world get to see the quality of the workmanship that was in Peru.

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