Lived History: Oral Traditions and the Fate of Ancestral Objects | Wyoming’s Native Americans

This gallery is a highlight of the Wind River Virtual Museum — a video archive of ancestral artifacts created with guidance from tribal elders of the Wind River Indian Reservation. These ancestral artifacts were brought out of archival storage for the elders to share their invaluable ancestral and historical knowledge. Their commentary becomes part of the precarious and precious transmission of oral culture that the people of Wind River strive to honor and preserve for future generations.

Students will analyze multiple perspectives on topic of ownership and repatriation of ancestral objects. Students will use historical evidence to determine thier stance on whether ancestral artifacts should remain in the care of the museums or should be repatriated, or returned, to their originating tribes.

NOTE: Spanish closed captions are available for this resource.