Inca Artifacts
 

By now I'm sure you've all heard about the issue between Yale and Peru about Inca Artifacts removed almost 100 years ago and taken to Yale for research. Peru has asked for the return of these artifacts but Yale refuses saying they've been 'good stewards' of the artifacts for almost 100 years and they want to keep them for the next 100 years and beyond.

It sounds to me a lot like the time the Brits decided the Aboriginal people had no claim to the land here because they didn't make any improvements.

Do you think Yale should return the artifacts?

Yes.

I'll give it a qualified "maybe." I'd want to see more about both sides of the story. It's apparent that there was an agreement in place as of last year, but not any information about why it fell through. Yale claims the pieces that were collected prior to 1915 were covered by a concession grated by the Peruvian government; that the terms of the concession were adhered to; and that pieces collected after 1915 (when Peru passed a law preventing removal of such artifacts from the country) were returned shortly after WWI. There are two sides to everything, and I haven't seen Peru's side yet.

Sure, right after the British Museum returns the Rosetta Stone to Egypt.

I agree with SD - there was an article about this recently (can't find it) that made it seem as though this wasn't as simple an issue as it first appeared.

i think we should send them exact replicas, and tell them that we're returning the originals. they'll never know.

It fell through because the Peruvians found out that Yale wanted to return only a small percentage of the pieces.

:lol2:

Let's return them to the Incans.

Oh wait ...

Uh...they should be returned to the Incas. They're not extinct, you know.