Primitive art in the Western world: Collecting and preserving art, or looting and money making? - General Tiki

T tikiauction Member USA Joined: Sep 04, 2008 Posts: 108	T tikiauction Posted posted on Sun, Mar 29, 2009 8:48 AM On 2009-03-29 08:25, Sophista-tiki wrote: in most cases these countries now have the capabilities to care for the objects keeping them preserved and building their own historical identity in the process. While I am not sure that this is even a valid criteria for requesting repatriation, the fact is a rural marquesan community is not going to have the resources to preserve and study the artifacts. think about it, we in the west have exported the idea that the good life is the modern western life to just about every corner of the globe. to an average imporverished person living in the third world, what good is a rotting piece of rock out in the jungle. would they expend energy and economic resources to preserve it or would they save up and buy the lastest fashions and dvds from hollywood? in fact, why not sell the former to get the latter? i've seen it happen firsthand in cambodia, in papua new guinea, even in puerto rico. only as a society prosper would they begin to look inward to see that what is valuable to their cultural identity was there all along in the form of that rotting piece of rock. places like hawaii and new zealand, where the indigenous people fiercely guard and treasure their cultural heritage have undergone that transformation, but many other societies are still entrapped in the first scenario.

On 2009-03-29 08:25, Sophista-tiki wrote:
in most cases these countries now have the capabilities to care for the objects keeping them preserved and building their own historical identity in the process.

While I am not sure that this is even a valid criteria for requesting repatriation, the fact is a rural marquesan community is not going to have the resources to preserve and study the artifacts. think about it, we in the west have exported the idea that the good life is the modern western life to just about every corner of the globe. to an average imporverished person living in the third world, what good is a rotting piece of rock out in the jungle. would they expend energy and economic resources to preserve it or would they save up and buy the lastest fashions and dvds from hollywood? in fact, why not sell the former to get the latter? i've seen it happen firsthand in cambodia, in papua new guinea, even in puerto rico. only as a society prosper would they begin to look inward to see that what is valuable to their cultural identity was there all along in the form of that rotting piece of rock. places like hawaii and new zealand, where the indigenous people fiercely guard and treasure their cultural heritage have undergone that transformation, but many other societies are still entrapped in the first scenario.

Post #443353 by tikiauction on Sun, Mar 29, 2009 8:48 AM