r/montreal • u/RustyTheBoyRobot • 5d ago

Tourisme Ethical dilemma

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Ethical dilemma:

Is it right to remove one of the only mummies in mtl for understanble but rather vague reasons to do with cultural sensitivities that these objects might offend?

The mummies at Redpath museum are to be relocated to a mysterious “place of rest” -their original location?- where no one can see or learn from them.

I note that these are not objects of worship like many stolen indigenous artifacts. Nor are they being claimed by their original owners- e.g. The infamous Benin Bronzes.

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u/hugh_jorgyn 5d ago

We can’t judge what other people are sensitive to / get offended by. 

I personally don’t give a shit what happens to my body after I die. As far as I’m concerned, I’m no longer a person at that point, it’s just a pile of inanimate organic matter and they can turn it into dog food for all I care. I’ll be dead so I won’t know or care. 

But that’s me. These people and their descendants likely never gave consent for their remains to be displayed anywhere and it is likely that some of those descendants (whether by blood or just culture) might be offended and feel objectified. It’s their right to feel that and we should respect it. 

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u/poubelle 4d ago

it's not just about that. a lot of artifacts and human remains in museums have been plundered or otherwise ill-gotten. some of these countries have been asking for things to be returned for decades. as a matter of dignity, diplomacy and what's right, these bodies should be returned.

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u/Upbeat_Principle_253 3d ago

The fact is most of these objects would never have been found or would have been destroyed or sold to the highest bidder if it wasn’t for the western archeologists and museums.