MUSEUM PREPARES TO RESTITUTE INDIGENOUS AMERICAN ITEM Since the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), museums in the United States with collections that include Indigenous items are required to transparently report about human remains, funerary and sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony that they hold. In recent years, staff at the Allen, including former curator HannahWirta Kinney, working with consultant Sundance (Muskogee) and Associate Professor of Anthropology Amy Margaris, determined that an item previously catalogued as Peruvian was in fact from the Mississippian culture. Discovered in a grave in Tennessee, Water Bottle in the Shape of a Bird, which dates to about 1350–1450, was given to the museum in 1920 by the wife of Professor H. H. Wright, an Oberlin alumnus who taught mathematics andmusic at Fisk University; he had taken it in August 1885 from the Noel Cemetery south of Nashville. With the assistance of Professor Margaris, who serves as Oberlin College’s NAGPRA representative, the Allen is preparing to restitute the item to the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. The museum is also undertaking a new review of Indigenous items in the collection, in accordance with a 2024 revision to the original NAGPRA law. OBERLIN’S SIDEWALKS COME TO LIFE Every summer, Oberlin’s streets burst into color during the annual ChalkWalk. Artists of all ages and skill levels gather to transform the town’s sidewalks into a vibrant canvas. Local artists create intricate, detailed pieces, while children and families contribute playful doodles and bright shapes. The day becomes a celebration of art and community, as people stroll through the streets, admiring the temporary masterpieces. By evening, the town’s sidewalks are a living gallery, showcasing the diverse talents and imaginations of Oberlin’s residents. The Allen was proud to sponsor master artists Hector Castellanos, Wendy Mahon, and Robin Van Lear (seen here), in addition to local artist BethWolosz. AT THE ALLEN / FALL 2024 / 17
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