Repatriation claims on cultural material from former British colonies in museums in Britain and Ireland: using experiences to effect change

As calls for the return of cultural belongings intensify, museums in Britain and Ireland continue to fall short of the expectations of the original custodians whose cultural heritage they hold. Rooted in colonialist structures, museums maintain hierarchies and assumptions of authority that conflict with Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Their repatriation policies remain grounded in Western frameworks of ownership and knowledge transmission, thereby perpetuating colonialist practices rather than dismantling them. This thesis investigates the processes of repatriation from British and Irish museums to original custodians in former British colonies, uncovering how requests for return are received, reviewed and resolved. Grounded in an Indigenous paradigm, this research challenges Western-centric beliefs that continue to shape museum practice. This research employs a mixed-method approach that combines interviews with original custodians, interviews with museum professionals, desktop-based research, and a survey of museums. The study examines four case studies. The first of these is that of the return of Crowfoot’s regalia to Siksika Nation from Royal Albert Memorial Museum. The second is that of a First Nation belonging on loan from the British Museum. The third focuses on a collection of Haida belongings proactively returned from Buxton Museum to Haida Gwaii. The fourth and final case study is of a Caribou hide belonging returned to the Eeyou from an English museum. Three of the case studies reveal persistent structural barriers including restrictive legislation, institutional opacity, and colonialist frameworks that place disproportionate burdens on Indigenous communities. The other case study, involving a proactive return to the Haida, provides insights into how museums can ethically engage with repatriation and shoulder the burden of returns which historically have fallen to original custodians. In response, this thesis has allowed for the development of Indigenous-led Guidelines for the Reception, Review and Resolution of Repatriation Requests, a practical guidance document designed to decentre institutional authority and foreground Indigenous knowledge. These guidelines promote ethical, transparent and community-informed approaches that reconceptualise repatriation as an act of justice, cultural healing and renewal rather than a transactional exchange. While this research is focused on Britain and Ireland, the guidelines have wider applicability to museums with colonial legacies worldwide. Ultimately, this research contributes to decolonial and Indigenising approaches in museums by offering institutions pathways to dismantle colonial hierarchies, embed Indigenous epistemologies and move beyond rhetorical commitments to decolonisation toward substantive change.

Grantor dc:publisher

University College Cork

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• McCabe, Margaret

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Murray, Griffin

• Museum studies
• Repatriation
• Restitution
• Decolonisation
• Indigenisation
• Antiquities
• Museums
• Rematriation
• Co-curation
• Colonial histories
• Colonisation
• British Empire

Statement dc:rights

• © 2025, Margaret McCabe.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10468/18948

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:cora.ucc.ie:10468/18948