ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chip Colwell - Archaeologist, museum curator
Chip Colwell is an archaeologist who tries to answer the tangled question: Who owns the past?

Why you should listen

Chip Colwell is an archaeologist and museum curator who has published 11 books that invite us to rethink how Native American history is told. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian and TIME, while his research has been highlighted in the New York Times, BBC, Forbes and elsewhere. Most recently, he wrote Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture, which The Wall Street Journal dubbed "a careful and intelligent chronicle" and won a 2018 Colorado Book Award.

In 1990, Colwell fell in love with archaeology. Still in high school, he decided to make a life for himself discovering ancient windswept ruins across the American Southwest. But in college he discovered that archaeologists have not always treated Native Americans with respect. In museums were thousands of Native American skeletons, grave goods and sacred objects -- taken with the consent of Native communities. Disheartened, he planned to leave the field he revered. But an epiphany struck that instead he should help develop a new movement in archaeology and museums based on the dignity and rights of Native Americans.

When Colwell was hired as a curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, he had the chance to address the dark legacies of museum collecting. He and his colleagues began consulting with hundreds of tribes about the return of skeletons and sacred objects. In this work, Colwell realized, too, there was an important story to share that explored vital questions. Why do museums collect so many things? Why is it offensive to some that museums exhibit human remains and religious items? What are the legal rights of museums -- and the moral claims of tribes? What do we lose when artifacts go home? And what do we gain?

More profile about the speaker
Chip Colwell | Speaker | TED.com
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Chip Colwell: Why museums are returning cultural treasures

奇普 · 科威尔: 为什么博物馆要归还文物

Filmed:
1,453,223 views

考古学家、博物馆馆长奇普 · 科威尔为其博物馆收藏文物,也将馆藏物归原主。奇普的演讲发人深省,他谈到了博物馆如何处理窃得的精神文物和从前人坟墓里挖掘出来的文物,以及如何消除与要求归还文物的部落之间的分歧。
- Archaeologist, museum curator
Chip Colwell is an archaeologist who tries to answer the tangled question: Who owns the past? Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
A confession自白书:
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首先,我要坦白:
00:15
I am an archaeologist考古学家
and a museum博物馆 curator馆长,
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我是一位考古学家,也是一位博物馆馆长,
但我是一个矛盾体。
00:18
but a paradoxical自相矛盾 one.
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00:21
For my museum博物馆, I collect搜集 things,
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我所在的博物馆不仅收藏东西,
也会将藏品物归原主。
00:24
but I also return返回 things
back to where they came来了 from.
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00:28
I love museums博物馆 because
they're social社会 and educational教育性,
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我之所以喜欢博物馆 ,
是因为它具有社会价值和教育意义,
00:33
but I'm most drawn to them
because of the magic魔法 of objects对象:
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但博物馆最吸引我的
是各件极具魅力的藏品:
00:37
a one-million-year-old100万岁 hand axe斧头,
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一把一百万年“高龄”的手斧,
00:40
a totem图腾 pole, an impressionist印象派 painting绘画
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一根图腾柱,一幅印象派画作,
都超乎我们的想象。
00:43
all take us beyond our own拥有 imaginations想象.
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00:47
In museums博物馆, we pause暂停 to muse沉思,
to gaze凝视 upon our human人的 empire帝国 of things
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人们会在博物馆展品前驻足、欣赏,
00:53
in meditation冥想 and wonder奇迹.
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陷入沉思,惊叹连连。
00:57
I understand理解 why US museums博物馆 alone单独
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我知晓为什么仅仅美国的博物馆,
每年接待的访客数量就超过了8.5亿人次。
00:59
host主办 more than 850 million百万
visits访问 each year.
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01:05
Yet然而, in recent最近 years年份, museums博物馆
have become成为 a battleground战场.
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然而,博物馆近几年却沦为了战场。
01:09
Communities社区 around the world世界
don't want to see their culture文化
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全球各地的人们均不希望
到自己并无控制权的
01:12
in distant遥远 institutions机构
which哪一个 they have no control控制 over.
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遥远的他乡博物馆去看
本属于自己祖国的文物。
01:16
They want to see their cultural文化 treasures珍品
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人们希望本国文化瑰宝
能回到故土。
01:18
repatriated遣返, returned
to their places地方 of origin起源.
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01:23
Greece希腊 seeks寻求 the return返回
of the Parthenon帕台农神庙 Marbles大理石,
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希腊希望帕特农神庙大理石雕塑能回归,
01:26
a collection采集 of classical古典 sculptures雕塑
held保持 by the British英国的 Museum博物馆.
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这些雕塑现存于大英博物馆内。
01:31
Egypt埃及 demands需要 antiquities古物 from Germany德国.
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埃及要求德国归还文物。
01:35
New Zealand's新西兰 Maori毛利 want to see returned
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新西兰的毛利人希望
各地博物馆归还带有纹身的祖先头颅。
01:38
ancestral tattooed纹身 heads
from museums博物馆 everywhere到处.
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01:43
Yet然而 these claims索赔 pale苍白 in comparison对照
to those made制作 by Native本地人 Americans美国人.
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然而,这些索求与美洲印第安人的索求
相比可以说是小巫见大巫。
01:48
Already已经, US museums博物馆 have returned
more than one million百万 artifacts文物
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美国各个博物馆已经归还了
他们一百多万件手工艺品
01:52
and 50,000 sets
of Native本地人 American美国 skeletons骷髅.
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和5万具美洲印第安人骨骸。
01:58
To illustrate说明 what's at stake赌注,
let's start开始 with the War战争 Gods.
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为了说明其中的利害关系 ,
我们先来说说战神。
02:03
This is a wood carving雕刻
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这是新墨西哥州
祖尼人刻的木雕。
02:05
made制作 by members会员
of the Zuni祖尼 tribe部落 in New Mexico墨西哥.
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02:09
In the 1880s, anthropologists人类学家
began开始 to collect搜集 them
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19世纪80年代,人类学家开始收集这种木雕,
02:12
as evidence证据 of American美国 Indian印度人 religion宗教.
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用来证明美洲印第安人的宗教信仰。
02:16
They came来了 to be seen看到 as beautiful美丽,
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人们认为这些木雕非常精美,
毕加索和保罗 · 克利的雕塑也受其影响,
02:19
the precursor先导 to the stark与之形成鲜明 sculptures雕塑
of Picasso毕加索 and Paul保罗 Klee克利,
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战神木雕推动了现代艺术运动的发展。
02:24
helping帮助 to usher招待员 in
the modern现代 art艺术 movement运动.
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02:28
From one viewpoint观点, the museum博物馆
did exactly究竟 as it's supposed应该 to
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从某个角度而言,博物馆收集战神木雕
正是其职责所在。
02:32
with the War战争 God.
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博物馆将这种鲜为人知的艺术形式
02:34
It helped帮助 introduce介绍
a little-known鲜为人知的 art艺术 form形成
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02:36
for the world世界 to appreciate欣赏.
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介绍给世人了解和欣赏。
02:40
But from another另一个 point of view视图,
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但从另一个角度而言,
博物馆犯下了严重的罪行:文化暴力。
02:41
the museum博物馆 had committed提交
a terrible可怕 crime犯罪 of cultural文化 violence暴力.
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02:47
For Zunis祖尼斯, the War战争 God
is not a piece of art艺术,
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对于祖尼人而言,战神木雕并非艺术品,
甚至都不算是一件物品。
02:51
it is not even a thing.
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它有生命。
02:53
It is a being存在.
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02:57
For Zunis祖尼斯, every一切 year,
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每年,祖尼牧师都会
按仪式雕刻新的战神,
03:00
priests牧师 ritually仪式 carve雕刻 new War战争 Gods,
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Ahayu:Da,
03:02
the Ahayu阿哈尤:daDA,
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在漫长隆重的祭典上,为其注入生命的气息。
03:03
breathing呼吸 life into them
in a long ceremony仪式.
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03:07
They are placed放置 on sacred神圣 shrines神社
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祖尼人将战神木雕放置在神庙,
03:09
where they live生活 to protect保护 the Zuni祖尼 people
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祈求它们保佑自己的族人,
并维护宇宙的平衡。
03:12
and keep the universe宇宙 in balance平衡.
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03:15
No one can own拥有 or sell a War战争 God.
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任何人都不能占有或者贩卖战神。
战神只属于大地母亲。
03:18
They belong属于 only to the earth地球.
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03:21
And so Zunis祖尼斯 want them back from museums博物馆
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所以祖尼人想从博物馆把战神木雕要回来,
放回自己的神庙,
03:24
so they can go to their shrine神社 homes家园
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03:28
to fulfill履行 their spiritual精神 purpose目的.
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履行自己的精神使命。
03:32
What is a curator馆长 to do?
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博物馆馆长要怎么做呢?
03:35
I believe that the War战争 Gods
should be returned.
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我认为应该归还战神。
这个答案或许让人觉得不可思议。
03:40
This might威力 be a startling触目惊心 answer回答.
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毕竟,我的答案与全球大部分
03:42
After all, my conclusion结论
contradicts相矛盾 the refrain副歌
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知名考古学家的观点相左:
03:44
of the world's世界 most famous著名 archaeologist考古学家:
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03:48
"That belongs属于 in a museum博物馆!"
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“战神属于博物馆!”
(大笑)
03:49
(Laughter笑声)
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这是电影《夺宝奇兵》的男主角
印地安纳・琼斯说的,
03:52
is what Indiana印地安那 Jones琼斯 said,
not just to drive驾驶 movie电影 plots地块,
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他说这话可不单单是为了推动剧情发展 ,
更是为了全社会的利益。
03:56
but to drive驾驶 home the unquestionable不容置疑 good
of museums博物馆 for society社会.
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04:03
I did not come to my view视图 easily容易.
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当然,我也并非轻易得出了自己的答案。
04:05
I grew成长 up in Tucson图森, Arizona亚利桑那,
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我在亚利桑那州的图森市长大,
从小就喜欢索诺拉沙漠的历史。
04:08
and fell下跌 in love
with the Sonoran索诺拉 Desert's沙漠的 past过去.
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04:12
I was amazed吃惊 that beneath下面
the city's城市的 bland平淡 strip跳闸 malls商场
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使我惊奇的是,在图森一条条商业街的下面
埋藏着12000年的历史故事,等着人类去探索。
04:16
was 12,000 years年份 of history历史
just waiting等候 to be discovered发现.
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04:20
When I was 16 years年份 old,
I started开始 taking服用 archaeology考古学 classes
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我16岁那年,开始上考古学课,
也会外出进行考古发掘。
04:24
and going out on digs.
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04:26
A high school学校 teacher老师 of mine
even helped帮助 me set up my own拥有 laboratory实验室
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我的一位高中老师甚至帮我
建了属于我个人的实验室,
04:30
to study研究 animal动物 bones骨头.
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以便我研究动物骨骼。
04:33
But in college学院,
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但上大学时,
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I came来了 to learn学习 that my future未来 career事业
had a dark黑暗 history历史.
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我发现我日后的职业生涯
还涉及了一段黑暗的历史。
04:40
Starting开始 in the 1860s,
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自19世纪60年代以来,
美洲印第安人骨骸就成为了科学工具,
04:43
Native本地人 American美国 skeletons骷髅
became成为 a tool工具 for science科学,
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人们收集成千上万的骨骸
04:47
collected in the thousands数千
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来证明新的社会和种族阶级理论。
04:49
to prove证明 new theories理论
of social社会 and racial种族 hierarchies等级.
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04:54
Native本地人 American美国 human人的 remains遗迹
were plundered搜刮 from graves坟墓,
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有些人强行把美洲印第安人的
骸骨从坟墓里挖出来,
甚至还从战场收集尸骸。
04:59
even taken采取 fresh新鲜 from battlefields战场.
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05:04
When archaeologists考古学家
came来了 across横过 white白色 graves坟墓,
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当考古学家挖到白人坟墓时,
05:06
the skeleton骨架 was often经常 quickly很快 reburied重新安葬,
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一般会尽快把骨骸埋回去,
而挖到美洲印第安人的骨骸时,
却会做成标本放到博物馆展示柜里。
05:09
while Native本地人 bones骨头 were deposited沉积
as specimens标本 on museum博物馆 shelves货架.
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05:15
In the wake唤醒 of war战争, stolen被盗 land土地,
boarding登机 schools学校,
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战争过后,家园故土被侵占,
学校成为寄宿制,
宗教被法律禁止,
05:18
laws法律 banning取缔 religion宗教,
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人类学家收集各种神圣物件,
05:20
anthropologists人类学家 collected sacred神圣 objects对象
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认为美洲印第安人即将灭绝。
05:22
in the belief信仰 that Native本地人 peoples人们
were on the cusp风口浪尖 of extinction灭绝.
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05:28
You can call it racism种族主义 or colonialism殖民主义,
but the labels标签 don't matter
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你们可以称之为种族主义或殖民主义 ,
贴任何标签都无所谓,
重要的是上世纪发生的事情,
05:32
as much as the fact事实
that over the last century世纪,
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美洲印第安人的权利被剥夺,文化被侵犯。
05:35
Native本地人 American美国 rights权利 and culture文化
were taken采取 from them.
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05:40
In 1990, after years年份 of Native本地人 protests抗议,
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1990年,在多年的本土抗议之后,
美国政府通过美国国会,
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the US government政府,
through通过 the US Congress国会,
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终于通过了一项法律
允许美洲印第安人
05:45
finally最后 passed通过 a law that allowed允许
Native本地人 Americans美国人 to reclaim回收
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从博物馆取回文物,圣物和祖先遗骸。
05:50
cultural文化 items项目, sacred神圣 objects对象
and human人的 remains遗迹 from museums博物馆.
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05:54
Many许多 archaeologists考古学家 were panicked惊慌失措.
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考古学家纷纷表示震惊。
05:58
For scientists科学家们,
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对于科学家而言,
可能很难理解一块木头
怎么就变成有生命的神了,
05:59
it can be hard to fully充分 grasp把握
how a piece of wood can be a living活的 god
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亦或神灵如何守护遗骸。
06:06
or how spirits surround环绕 bones骨头.
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而科学家知道,现代科学,尤其是DNA,
06:08
And they knew知道 that modern现代 science科学,
especially特别 with DNA脱氧核糖核酸,
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能有助于洞悉过去。
06:12
can provide提供 luminous发光的 insights见解
into the past过去.
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06:17
As the anthropologist人类学家
Frank坦率 Norwick诺威克 declared声明,
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人类学家弗兰克 · 诺维克曾说过,
“我们手头在做的事情
对全人类而言意义非凡。
06:19
"We are doing important重要 work
that benefits好处 all of mankind人类.
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我们绝不会把任何东西还给任何人。”
06:23
We are not returning回国 anything to anyone任何人."
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06:29
As a college学院 student学生,
all of this was an enigma
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对于大学生而言,这一切都是谜,
难以解读。
06:32
that was hard to decipher解码.
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06:35
Why did Native本地人 Americans美国人
want their heritage遗产 back
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为什么美洲印第安人想把文化遗产
从保存文化遗产的地方拿回来呢?
06:38
from the very places地方 preserving it?
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06:41
And how could scientists科学家们
spend their entire整个 lives生活
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科学家怎么能穷其一生
研究死去的美洲印第安人,
06:45
studying研究 dead Indians印度人
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06:46
but seem似乎 to care关心 so little
about living活的 ones那些?
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却不怎么关注活生生的美洲印第安人?
06:52
I graduated毕业 but wasn't sure
what to do next下一个,
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我虽然从大学毕业了,
却不知道之后要做什么,
于是我就出去旅行了。
06:55
so I traveled旅行.
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06:58
One day, in South Africa非洲,
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有一天,我到了南非,
去了罗本岛上关押过
纳尔逊 · 曼德拉的监狱。
07:00
I visited参观 Nelson纳尔逊 Mandela's曼德拉
former前任的 prison监狱 cell细胞 on Robben罗本 Island.
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07:05
I had an epiphany顿悟.
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我恍然大悟。
07:07
Here was a man who helped帮助
a country国家 bridge vast广大 divides分歧
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这里关过的可是曼德拉啊,
他致力于帮助国家消除分歧,寻求和解。
07:11
to seek寻求, however然而 imperfectly不完美,
reconciliation和解.
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07:16
I'm no Mandela曼德拉, but I ask myself:
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虽然我不是曼德拉,但也不禁扪心自问:
07:18
Could I, too, plant seeds种子 of hope希望
in the ruins废墟 of the past过去?
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我是否也能同他一样,
在曾经的废墟之上播种希望?
07:23
In 2007, I was hired雇用 as a curator馆长
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2007年,我出任
07:25
at the Denver丹佛 Museum博物馆
of Nature性质 and Science科学.
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丹佛自然科学博物馆馆长。
我们的团队达成了共识,和其他机构不同,
07:28
Our team球队 agreed同意 that unlike不像
many许多 other institutions机构,
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我们要主动归还馆藏文物。
07:32
we needed需要 to proactively主动 confront面对
the legacy遗产 of museum博物馆 collecting搜集.
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07:37
We started开始 with
the skeletons骷髅 in our closet壁橱,
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我们先从储藏室里的遗骸入手,
共有100具。
07:41
100 of them.
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月复一月,年复一年,
我们与几十个部落取得了联系,
07:43
After months个月 and then years年份,
we met会见 with dozens许多 of tribes部落
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07:45
to figure数字 out how to get
these remains遗迹 home.
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想办法将这些遗骸送回部落。
这项工作十分艰难,
07:48
And this is hard work.
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07:50
It involves涉及 negotiating谈判
who will receive接收 the remains遗迹,
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我们要协商谁来接收这些遗骸,
如何转移这些遗骸,才能显示尊重,
07:54
how to respectfully尊敬 transfer转让 them,
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07:56
where will they go.
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要把这些遗骸送到哪里去。
美洲印第安人部落领袖承办了殡葬仪式,
07:58
Native本地人 American美国 leaders领导者
become成为 undertakers机构,
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为那些被强行挖出来的逝去的亲人置办葬礼。
08:02
planning规划 funerals葬礼 for dead relatives亲戚们
they had never wanted unearthed出土.
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08:09
A decade later后来, the Denver丹佛 Museum博物馆
and our Native本地人 partners伙伴
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十年后 ,丹佛自然科学博物馆和美洲印第安人
差不多把馆藏的人类遗骸都重新埋葬了。
08:11
have reburied重新安葬 nearly几乎 all
of the human人的 remains遗迹 in the collection采集.
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08:16
We have returned
hundreds数以百计 of sacred神圣 objects对象.
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我们已经归还了数百件圣物。
08:19
But I've come to see
that these battles战斗 are endless无穷.
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但我发现,这些战争无休无止。
08:23
Repatriation遣返 is now a permanent常驻 feature特征
of the museum博物馆 world世界.
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归还文物如今成了博物馆的固定工作内容。
08:29
Hundreds数以百计 of tribes部落 are waiting等候 their turn.
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数百个部落等着博物馆归还文物。
博物馆越来越多,
需要归还的文物更是数不胜数。
08:32
There are always
more museums博物馆 with more stuff东东.
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08:36
Every一切 catalogued编目 War战争 God
in an American美国 public上市 museum博物馆
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美国公共博物馆里每一个登记在册的战神
都已经归还给了祖尼部落 ,
截至目前一共归还了106个。
08:39
has now been returned -- 106, so far --
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但是还有很多的战神并不在
美国法律的管辖范围之内,
08:43
but there are more
beyond the reach达到 of US law,
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比如私人收藏的,和美国领土之外的。
08:47
in private私人的 collections集合
and outside our borders国界.
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08:51
In 2014, I had the chance机会 to travel旅行
with a respected尊敬 religious宗教 leader领导
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2014年,我有幸与一位
受人敬重的宗教领袖一同出行,
他名叫奥塔维斯 · 西欧特瓦
(Octavius Seowtewa) ,来自祖尼部落,
08:56
from the Zuni祖尼 tribe部落
named命名 Octavius奥克塔维乌斯 Seowtewa西韦特瓦
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我们访问了欧洲五家收藏了战神的博物馆。
09:00
to visit访问 five museums博物馆
in Europe欧洲 with War战争 Gods.
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09:03
At the Ethnological民族 Museum博物馆 of Berlin柏林,
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在柏林民族学博物馆,
我们发现其对战神的保存能力令人生疑。
09:06
we saw a War战争 God
with a history历史 of dubious可疑 care关心.
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这所博物馆的馆长对战神怀着满腔热忱,
甚至还把鸡毛放到了战神上。
09:10
An overly过于 enthusiastic热情 curator馆长
had added添加 chicken feathers羽毛 to it.
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09:14
Its necklace项链 had once一旦 been stolen被盗.
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战神的项链被偷过。
09:18
At the Mus小家ée du quai Branly布兰利 in Paris巴黎,
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在巴黎的凯布朗利博物馆,
一位管理人员称那里的战神现在属于国有财产,
09:20
an official官方 told us that the War战争 God there
is now state property属性
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没有归还的规定。
09:23
with no provisions规定 for repatriation归国.
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他坚称战神不再为祖尼人服务,
09:26
He insisted坚持 that the War战争 God
no longer served提供服务 Zunis祖尼斯
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而是在博物馆供游客观赏。
09:29
but museum博物馆 visitors游客.
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09:31
He said, "We give all
of the objects对象 to the world世界."
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他说:“我们把所有的展品呈现给全世界。”
09:35
At the British英国的 Museum博物馆,
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在大英博物馆,
则有人警告称,把战神归还给
祖尼人会开创危险的先例,
09:36
we were warned警告 that the Zuni祖尼 case案件
would establish建立 a dangerous危险 precedent先例
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会引起更大的争端。
09:40
for bigger disputes争议,
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09:42
such这样 as the Parthenon帕台农神庙 Marbles大理石,
claimed声称 by Greece希腊.
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比如说,希腊人会索回
帕特农神庙大理石雕塑。
09:46
After visiting访问 the five museums博物馆,
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访问了这五家博物馆之后,
奥塔维斯空手而归。
09:49
Octavius奥克塔维乌斯 returned home
to his people empty-handed空手.
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09:54
He later后来 told me,
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后来,他告诉我,
“看到战神散落在远方,我非常心疼。
09:55
"It hurts伤害 my heart to see
the Ahayu阿哈尤:daDA so far away.
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这些战神都应该在一起。
09:58
They all belong属于 together一起.
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10:01
It's like a family家庭 member会员
that's missing失踪 from a family家庭 dinner晚餐.
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它们好比家庭成员在家庭聚餐中缺席了。
10:06
When one is gone走了,
their strength强度 is broken破碎."
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缺少了一个,它们的凝聚力就被破坏了。”
我希望欧洲及其他地区的同仁们
10:10
I wish希望 that my colleagues同事
in Europe欧洲 and beyond
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10:13
could see that the War战争 Gods
do not represent代表 the end结束 of museums博物馆
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能够明白,归还战神并不会
对博物馆产生负面影响,
而是代表一个新的开端。
10:17
but the chance机会 for a new beginning开始.
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10:20
When you walk步行 the halls大厅 of a museum博物馆,
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当你参观博物馆的时候,
你看到的展品
10:23
you're likely容易 just seeing眼看
about one percent百分
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很可能只占全部馆藏的1%左右。
10:26
of the total collections集合.
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剩下的全在储藏室放着。
10:27
The rest休息 is in storage存储.
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即使是在归还了500件文物和遗骸后,
10:29
Even after returning回国
500 cultural文化 items项目 and skeletons骷髅,
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我的博物馆还有99.999%馆藏。
10:33
my museum博物馆 still retains保留 99.999 percent百分
of its total collections集合.
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虽然我们博物馆没有了战神,
10:39
Though虽然 we no longer have War战争 Gods,
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但是我们有传统祖尼陶器,
10:41
we have Zuni祖尼 traditional传统 pottery陶器,
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珠宝、工具、衣物及艺术品。
10:44
jewelry首饰, tools工具, clothing服装 and arts艺术.
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10:48
And even more precious珍贵 than these objects对象
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还有比这些文物更珍贵的,
那便是我们在归还文物的过程中
10:51
are the relationships关系 that we formed形成
with Native本地人 Americans美国人
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与美洲印第安人建立的关系。
10:54
through通过 the process处理 of repatriation归国.
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10:58
Now, we can ask Zunis祖尼斯
to share分享 their culture文化 with us.
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现在,我们可以请祖尼人
与我们一同分享祖尼文化。
11:04
Not long ago, I had the chance机会
to visit访问 the returned War战争 Gods.
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不久前,我有幸见到了归还的战神。
11:09
A shrine神社 sits坐镇 up high atop在顶上 a mesa台面
overlooking俯瞰 beautiful美丽 Zuni祖尼 homeland家园.
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神庙建在一座平顶山上,
俯瞰美丽的祖尼家园。
11:16
The shrine神社 is enclosed封闭
by a roofless罗弗内斯 stone building建造
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神庙由一些石屋围起来,没有屋顶。
11:20
threaded螺纹 at the top最佳 with barbed带刺 wire线
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石屋上面设有带刺铁丝网,
确保战神不会再次被盗。
11:23
to ensure确保 that they're not stolen被盗 again.
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11:26
And there they are, inside,
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神庙里共有
106尊战神,
11:28
the Ahayu阿哈尤:daDA,
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11:30
106 War战争 Gods amid offerings供品
of turquoise绿松石, cornmeal棒子面, shell贝壳,
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它们的周围摆满了祭品:
绿松石、玉米粉、贝壳,
甚至还有T恤衫……
11:35
even T-shirtsT恤 ...
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11:38
a modern现代 gift礼品 to ancient beings众生.
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这是献给古代生灵的现代礼物。
11:41
And standing常设 there,
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站在那里,
我突然理解了战神存在的真正意义。
11:43
I got a glimpse一瞥 at the War战争 Gods'神 '
true真正 purpose目的 in the world世界.
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11:47
And it occurred发生 to me then
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我明白了,
我们不能选择我们能够继承的历史。
11:49
that we do not get to choose选择
the histories历史 that we inherit继承.
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11:54
Museum博物馆 curators策展人 today今天
did not pillage掠夺 ancient graves坟墓
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当代博物馆馆长并没有掠夺古代坟墓,
没有偷盗圣物,
11:57
or steal spiritual精神 objects对象,
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11:59
but we can accept接受 responsibility责任
for correcting修正 past过去 mistakes错误.
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但是我们应该承担责任,纠正前人的错误。
12:04
We can help restore恢复 dignity尊严,
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我们可以帮助美洲印第安人,
恢复尊严,重获希望,推崇人道,
12:06
hope希望 and humanity人性 to Native本地人 Americans美国人,
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因为我们的好奇,他们曾被迫保持沉默,
12:09
the very people who were once一旦
the voiceless无声 objects对象 of our curiosity好奇心.
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12:14
And this doesn't even require要求 us
to fully充分 understand理解 others'其他' beliefs信仰,
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我们并不需要完全理解他人的信仰,
只需要去尊重他们的信仰。
12:19
only that we respect尊重 them.
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12:22
Museums博物馆 are temples寺庙 to things past过去.
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博物馆收藏历史文物。
12:26
Now they must必须 also become成为
places地方 for living活的 cultures文化.
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现在,博物馆也要收藏当代文化作品。
12:32
As I turned转身 to walk步行 away from the shrine神社,
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走出神庙的时候,
我尽情享受着温暖的夏日阳光,
12:34
I drank in the warm summer夏季 air空气,
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我看到一只鹰在高空中缓缓盘旋。
12:37
and I watched看着 an eagle
turn lazy circles high above以上.
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我想到了祖尼人,
12:41
I thought of the Zunis祖尼斯,
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各种各样的祭品证明了他们的文化并未消逝,
12:42
whose谁的 offerings供品 ensure确保
that their culture文化 is not dead and gone走了
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12:47
but alive and well,
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而是依旧鲜活,
12:49
and I could think of no better place地点
for the War战争 Gods to be.
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我相信,这就是战神最好的归宿。
12:54
Thank you.
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谢谢大家。
(掌声)
12:55
(Applause掌声)
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Translated by Wanna Shi
Reviewed by Amber Lee

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Chip Colwell - Archaeologist, museum curator
Chip Colwell is an archaeologist who tries to answer the tangled question: Who owns the past?

Why you should listen

Chip Colwell is an archaeologist and museum curator who has published 11 books that invite us to rethink how Native American history is told. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian and TIME, while his research has been highlighted in the New York Times, BBC, Forbes and elsewhere. Most recently, he wrote Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture, which The Wall Street Journal dubbed "a careful and intelligent chronicle" and won a 2018 Colorado Book Award.

In 1990, Colwell fell in love with archaeology. Still in high school, he decided to make a life for himself discovering ancient windswept ruins across the American Southwest. But in college he discovered that archaeologists have not always treated Native Americans with respect. In museums were thousands of Native American skeletons, grave goods and sacred objects -- taken with the consent of Native communities. Disheartened, he planned to leave the field he revered. But an epiphany struck that instead he should help develop a new movement in archaeology and museums based on the dignity and rights of Native Americans.

When Colwell was hired as a curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, he had the chance to address the dark legacies of museum collecting. He and his colleagues began consulting with hundreds of tribes about the return of skeletons and sacred objects. In this work, Colwell realized, too, there was an important story to share that explored vital questions. Why do museums collect so many things? Why is it offensive to some that museums exhibit human remains and religious items? What are the legal rights of museums -- and the moral claims of tribes? What do we lose when artifacts go home? And what do we gain?

More profile about the speaker
Chip Colwell | Speaker | TED.com

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