Does your family have a collection of cultural objects gathered in Oregon or Washington? Not sure what to do with it? The OAS can help. We have a program specifically designed to facilitate the donation of collections to regional museums or to help with the repatriation of cultural objects to tribal institutions.
Oregon Archaeological Society Collections Recovery Program
The OAS Collections Recovery Program was formed in an effort to assist our members’ families and the general public in possession of prehistoric cultural object collections find established curation facilities to house their collections in perpetuity.
By encouraging the donation of a collection, the OAS Collections Recovery Program (OASCRP) seeks to halt the dispersal and commodification of cultural objects and encourage academic research. OAS strongly believes that an educational opportunity can be rendered to the community in this effort, and that we are uniquely positioned to contribute to that service.
The Oregon Archaeological Society was founded in 1951. Many of the original members have now passed their collections on to descendants that would like to honor and preserve the family heritage encapsulated in them, but are uncertain about appropriate ways of doing so. They seek a path that gives something back to the organization that meant so much to their elders and also ensures long term protection of the cultural objects, recognition of the family, and full accessibility for scientific research and public exhibits.
The program provides a conduit that insures safe passage from the family to the repository deemed to be the “best fit” based on the collection’s place of origin and scientific or cultural significance. As part of that effort, the OASCRP will assess each cultural object collection and help facilitate the transfer to the curation facility.
Depending on the provenience of the donated collection, curation facilities include:
- University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
- Chachalu Museum and Culture Center of The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
- Tamástslikt Cultural Institute of The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
- The Museum at Warm Springs of The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation
As currently configured, the protocols for the transfer of a collection from the donor to a repository are tailored to offer donors, upon request, a record of the collection along with careful attention towards identifying the best long term facility. The collections will provide opportunities to educate future generations of archaeologists and gain valuable training in curation protocols. The OAS Collections Recovery Program reduces the effort on both sides of the transfer, offering peace of mind to the owners and streamlining delivery to the repository, reducing time, effort, and expense for museum curation staff. This way, the OAS provides a complete set of services for the family donating the material, the academic community, the Tribal community, and the final destination for the collection.
To contact us to discuss your family’s collection, send an email to:
oascollectionsprogram@oregonarchaeological.org
We look forward to hearing from you, and to helping preserve your collection
for future generations in the Pacific Northwest.