NAGPRA from the Middle Distance: Legal Puzzles and Unintended Consequences

The global decolonization movement that gathered strength after World War II began to shake the genteel world of museums and cultural repositiories in the 1980s. Works of art qcquired by warriors, explorers, and, in more recent times, professional looters became the focus of concerted diplomatic efforts by countries determined to see the restitution of their national patrimony. Many improperly acquired items have been return to their original private owners or national museums; countless cases involving more ambiguous provenance await final resolution. It is safe to say that mere possession of art objects no longer guarantees that museums will be able to retain title to them indefinitely.