EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The Netherlands promises to return several antique, sacred artifacts stolen from the Borderland over a century ago.
On Friday, the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribal Council Office said they were “grateful and humbled” as the Dutch government and the Dutch Museum of World Cultures announced it will return seven sacred and culturally significant artifacts to Ysleta after they were taken by a Dutch anthropologist and explorer more than 140 years ago.
The announcement comes after Tuesday, when the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior confirming to return the sacred items “as soon as practicable.”
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Governor Michael Silvas released a statement expressing gratitude for all the entities that worked together to make this happen.
“We want to offer sincere thanks to the Dutch government, the Museum of World Cultures, and the Dutch Colonial Collections Committee for working with the Pueblo and the U.S. government on a successful return of these objects of great significance to our community,” Silvas said. “They changed their minds, which is not a common occurrence so that we can now be reunited with our Winter Drum and more.”
And while there is no exact date of when these items will be back in Ysleta, the Tribal Council Office hopes they will be home by March.
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The Tribal Council Office said that among the items returned, is the Pohwith Winter Drum, Pueblo’s most important spiritual icon and a shield, another smaller drum and drum stick, moccasins and rattles. The Winter Drum will be joining “its brother,” the Summer Drum, and will be used for Winter rituals and traditions for the first time since 1882. Both drums — which are over 350 years old– are “living entities to be birthed, fed, blessed, cared for, and prayed for,” according to Pueblo.
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According to the Tribal Council Office, Pueblo had tried to get the sacred items back several times without any success.
They said Pueblo had tried as far back as 1967, several instances throughout the 90s, and again in 2017, with the Dutch refusing to return the stolen items each time.
According to the Tribal Council Office, the items were stolen back in December of 1882 by Dutch anthropologist and explorer Herman F.C. Ten Kate who traveled through west Texas, making numerous encounters with the Pueblo taking key pieces of the Pueblo’s culture through “very dubious means” to put them in Dutch museums.
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