EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Ysleta del Sur Pueblo says it will soon be getting back its Pohwith Winter Drum and six other items that it called “sacred and culturally significant” after more than 140 years in the hands of the Dutch government and the Dutch Museum of World Cultures.
The Tiguas made the announcement on Friday, Jan. 17.
“The Winter Drum, perhaps the Pueblo’s most important spiritual icon, will now soon be reunited with its brother, the Summer Drum, and used in full celebration of our Winter rituals and traditions for the first time since 1882,” the Pueblo said in a news release.
The Pueblo said the Dutch minister of education, culture and science confirmed on Tuesday, Jan. 14 that that the Dutch government would return “these cherished antiquities to the Pueblo as soon as practicable.”
The exact return date is yet to be determined between the Dutch government, the U.S. government, and the Pueblo, but the items could be returned as soon as March, the Tiguas said.
Dutch anthropologist and explorer Herman F.C. Ten Kate traveled through West Texas in 1882 and obtained the Winter Drum and other items through “very dubious means,” Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Gov. Michael Silvas said.
Ten Kate took “our treasures back to the Netherlands, so they could be placed in museums, where they remain to this day,” Silvas said. “Since 1882, we have prayed for their return and petitioned the Dutch for their return. Our antiquities are part of our every-day spiritual life, and they were taken away from us to hang in a museum. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered, and these religious icons will, once again, be returned to our people so that we can only strengthen and continue to practice our culture and faith.”
The Pueblo says it has tried numerous times for nearly 60 years to get the items returned.
“Fortunately, the Dutch government recently expressed a willingness to repatriate sacred works of indigenous peoples held in their museums,” the tribe said in its news release.
The Pueblo said it approached members of the Texas and New Mexico congressional delegation for help and also got help and support from the White House, State Department and Department of the Interior.
“The Pohwith Winter Drum and its Brother Summer Drum are living entities to be birthed, fed, blessed, cared for, and prayed for. The drums are more than 350 years old and are hewn from the same tree from a forest near the Pueblo’s ancestral home in Isleta, New Mexico. They will soon be reunited for the first time since 1882, along with the return of a shield, another smaller drum and drum stick, moccasins, and rattles,” the Pueblo said in its news release.
“We want to offer sincere thanks the Dutch government, the Museum of World Cultures, and the Dutch Colonial Collections Committee for working with the Pueblo and the U.S. government on a successful return of these objects of great significance to our community. They changed their minds, which is not a common occurrence so that we can now be reunited with our Winter Drum and more,” Silvas said.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, called the return of the Pueblo’s items an “historic and momentous day.”
Here is his full statement: “Today is a historic and momentous day for the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tribe. After much effort by many stakeholders, myself included, the Netherlands has agreed to return several sacred artifacts back home to the Pueblo where they belong. These sacred objects are of deep cultural significance to Tigua heritage, traditions, ceremonies, and identity. I want to thank everyone who partnered on making this possible, including Gov. Michael Silvas and Lt. Gov. Adam Torres for their leadership. I look forward to working with the Pueblo to see to it that these objects finally come home.”
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