A New Committee Launches Making a Case for Archival Repatriation Ricardo Punzalan, Jaime Arsenault, Vina Begay, Forget Chaterera-Zambuko, Diana Marsh, Jacob Savory, Kevin Schlottmann, Melissa Stoner, and Jack Schmitt A ccess to and community possession of archival materials containing Native knowledge, language, and lifeways is crucial to the cultural survivance, revital-ization, and continuation of communities. Nevertheless, archival organizations have yet to fully address how the profession might approach the growing demand for archival repatriation. In response, the Society of American Archivists formed the Archival Repatriation Committee with the charge to “[E]nsure that [SAA]’s services, activities, policies, communications, and products support the goal of supporting archivists in repatriating and receiving archival materials.” The members of the committee see our work as one step toward archivists and archival institutions fulfilling our respon-sibilities to Indigenous communities and acknowledging Tribal sovereignty. We accept our charge with humility, and as such, we will begin our work with a series of listening sessions to invite archivists and community members to share their repatriation ideas and concerns. This includes having a sustained presence at the International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM). archives has not been directly addressed by the archival profession, even amid ongoing conversations around ethical access, the Protocols for Native American Archival Materials, reparative description, archival Indigenization, post-custodial paradigms, shared stewardship models, digital repa-triation projects, and knowledge sharing efforts. In 2021, as part of discussions on SAA’s new DEIA initiatives, the Native American Archives Section (NAAS) began a conversa-tion about the need for policy on physi-cal archival repatriation and purposeful deaccessioning. NAAS members recom-mended that SAA seek to educate the archival field about repatriation and the sovereignty of Native Nations, as well as broader issues around archival holdings Continued on page 18>> How Did This Committee Come About? Archivists must have a shared understand-ing of what it means to develop commu-nity relationships, pursue pathways to reparative and reciprocal arrangements, and in some cases, facilitate the actual return of Native archival items into their custody. However, physical repatriation of ORGANIZE, ACCESS, MANAGE, AND TRACK YOUR VALUABLE RESOURCES The journey to organizing and increasing the visibility of your special collections and archives isn’t a straight line. Wherever you are in the process, Atlas Systems can help move you forward. With Atlas, it’s as easy as one, two, three. STEP 01 Identify where you are now Target where you want to go Work with Atlas toward your goals STEP 02 STEP 03 With ArchivesSpace and Aeon, we can help you create your own continuum to reach your special collections and archives management goals. LET’S START THE CONVERSATION. SALES@ATLAS-SYS.COM ATLAS SYSTEMS 8 ARCHIVAL OUTLOOK January/February 2024
Archival Outlook January/February 2024: Page 8
