Glasgow is the first UK museum service to return Indian cultural artefacts
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This carving represents Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun
Glasgow is the first UK museum service to return Indian cultural artefacts to the descendants of their rightful owners.
Six of the artefacts were stolen from temples and shrines during British rule in the 19th Century in Northern India.
They were gifted to Glasgow's museum collections.
This decision to return the pieces comes after the museum invited representatives from Nigeria to discuss returning cultural artefacts, including Benin bronzes.
Part of the Benin bronze collection, a lost wax cast head of an Oba or king of Benin
Millions of people visit museums in the UK every year to get a chance to see wonderful pieces of historic art up close.
But some of the pieces currently on display in museums have controversial stories behind how they were brought to the UK.
Many artefacts may have been bought or gifted to the museum, but they originally could have been stolen or bought illegally, particularly during the colonial era - when Britain ruled over many countries.
Some argue it is the right thing to do to return the art from where it was taken and there is more value in seeing art in the country it was made in.
However others would argue that stories behind the art are part of the display and former colonial countries should not hide from their history.
But many museums are doing more to return the artefacts to the countries they were originally from.
Glasgow Life, which manages the city's museum collections, hosted the Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) in June, to the discuss repatriations - returning something to its own country - of the Benin bronzes.
The Benin bronzes are sculptures made from brass and bronze, created in West Africa.
Part of the Benin bronze collection, a rare lost wax cast bronze Udo head
The Benin bronzes were given as gifts to the museum and bought from auction houses but they were originally taken from sacred sites and ceremonial buildings by the British in Nigeria in 1897.
Duncan Dornan, head of Museums and Collections at Glasgow Life, said: "It marks an important milestone for the city, as it continues its positive history of repatriation by returning the Benin bronzes to their rightful owners."
By addressing past wrongs, we believe the returns will help to strengthen existing relations with these descendant communities.
The Glasgow museums have agreed to return 51 items to Nigeria, India, the Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux Tribes in South Dakota, US.
- Published29 November 2018
- Published26 November 2021
