Events

Society for American Archaeology
91st Annual Meeting
Session Presented by the UCLA Waystation Initiative
Hilton Union Square, San Francisco, CA

Using approximately 40 lithic artifacts recently accepted into the Waystation’s voluntary return program, Emiliano Melgar will demonstrate analytic methods through a first traceological examination to determine their ancient Mexican cultural affiliation and technological styles. He will discuss different techniques of identifying raw materials and manufacturing traces, what information can be obtained from them, the accuracy and limitations of these techniques, and the importance of reference assemblages for comparative purposes.

This two-day event will unite representatives from diverse global communities to foster networking, initiate dialogue, and develop shared frameworks and strategies aimed at advancing the restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage objects from museums, universities, and private collections worldwide.

Society for American Archaeology
2025 Annual Meeting
Forum Presented by the UCLA Waystation Initiative

In early 2024, the Fowler Museum at UCLA returned a group of objects to His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the 16th Asante King (Asantehene). Later the same year, historical treasures were returned to the Warumungu community in Tennant Creek, in the northern Territory of Australia. Join Silvia Forni, the Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Director of the Fowler Museum, and Erica P. Jones, senior curator of African arts and manager of curatorial affairs, for a conversation about the processes that enabled these returns and what museums gain when they let go of certain objects.

The UCLA Waystation Initiative and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology invite you to a Waystation Workshop at UCLA on Saturday March 9, 2024. As part of a weekend of celebratory events marking the 50th anniversary of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, this workshop will bring together Mesoamerican specialists to engage in foreword-thinking dialogue about the restitution and protection of the region’s tangible cultural heritage.

This workshop will introduce concepts and terminology for consensus building and community engagement via case studies, knowledge and experiences shared by our discussants. With the help of participants from China, the Philippines, and the United States, the workshop will focus on the development of inclusive, collaborative, and reciprocal relationships with communities and nations of origin. This workshop will also contribute to programing, teaching methods, and best practices for the Waystation Initiative.

The focus of the inaugural Waystation Workshop is on challenges that may arise as the Waystation Initiative and educational programs move forward. The issues defined below are a response to supportive and critical input from several authoritative voices. We wish to acknowledge in particular the expertise and acute assessments of Ioanna Kakoulli, Glenn Wharton, Miriam Stark, and Stephen Nash. We also thank our advisory board for defining topics for the workshop and for their excellent suggestions for discussants.