# Mesa Verde Artifacts-Finland

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760 "2019-08-16T19:15:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760/1 "2019-08-16T19:15:09Z")

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Has there ever been an attempt to get the Mesa Verde artifacts back to the U. S. from the National Museum of Finland?

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**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760/2 "2019-08-16T21:43:24Z")

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Why would there be? Usually when there are movements like this, it’s because the artifacts were taken under colonial rule and the legacy of that, isn’t it?

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**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760/3 "2019-08-16T22:10:32Z")

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> [@Babale](#):
>
> Why would there be? Usually when there are movements like this, it’s because the artifacts were taken under colonial rule and the legacy of that, isn’t it?

Well, it’s complicated by Native American interest in having skeletal remains returned and reburied( as has happened at Mesa Verde ). Nothing was removed illegally by the _law at that time_, but it can be an emotive issue. And the Finnish collection apparently contains some human remains.

Personally this is one of those areas where I’m always conflicted. I like to be respectful of people’s beliefs and I’d certainly be pissed at any government/institution that laid claim to the remains of folks that still existed in living memory( i.e. digging up your grandpa without your permission for science ). But in cases of truly ancient remains of no unambiguous traceable descent, I tend to side with science.

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**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760/4 "2019-08-16T22:41:34Z")

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Is there a general-ish linky?

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**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mesa-verde-artifacts-finland/838760/5 "2019-08-16T23:59:38Z")

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Some moderate movement a quarter of a century ago - Chicago Tribune [link](https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-06-26-9202260365-story.html), and [background](http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2019/04/01/the-1891-gustaf-nordenskiold-explorations-part-i-mesa-verde-by-harvey-leake/)on the original reason they are in Finland.

Since then there has been much more steam building up towards repatriation of human remains and culturally significant objects, but there is still no clear international convention or agreement [the existing one is 1970 and does not deal with material removed before that date]. Most museums and collecting institutions are very reluctant to be seen to be setting precedent by doing the right thing.