LA's Fowler Museum returns items to Aboriginal group

Topline:

The background: The Fowler Museum began negotiating with the Aboriginal group for the return of 20 items. The museum director says Fowler has returned items to Indigenous groups over the past two decades.

Why now: There's a growing call by advocates to return cultural artifacts, especially those that are known to be looted. According to Fowler director Silvia Forni, the museum holds 130,000 objects, of which 27 have been returned. Many of those don't fall under the categories of "loot, stolen objects, or objects or particular cultural significance," that tribes most often want back.

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Why it matters: The return signals the changing role of museums as custodians with ethical responsibilities toward the items in their collections and the original owners. The move also reflects the demand that California's public universities repatriate Indigenous artifacts.

Listen: We interviewed Fowler director Silvia Forni about the returns.