The Metropolitan Museum of Art has incomplete provenance information for 85% of the 139 Native American objects loaned or gifted to the museum by Charles and Valerie Diker, according to a report published today, April 25, by ProPublica. The Dikers hold an extensive collection of Native American art and have donated to the Met since 1993. Their donation of 91 Native American artifacts in 2017 sparked a new focus on Native American art at the New York institution and prompted the museum to to hire its first Native American art curator in 2020.
In 2017, The Met also announcement it will exhibit the works for the first time in its American wing (before that, indigenous art was exhibited in the Art of Africa, Oceania and Americas department). The newly acquired collection was exhibited in 2018 and is still featured in an ongoing exhibition titled Native American Art: The Charles and Valérie Diker Collection. Charles Diker served as honorary trustee of the museum since 2018.
THE ProPublica investigation analyzed the online recordings of 139 Diker gifts to find that the vast majority had underdeveloped historical recordings – a sign that these works may be stolen or fake. The results also shed light on discrepancies between object descriptions in museum labels and online documents. and the historical realities that contextualized their origin and acquisition in museum collections.
The report also alleges the Met failed to notify Indigenous communities of the new giveaways in a timely manner. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA), federally funded museums have six months to notify and consult with tribes when acquiring a sacred or grave object. (A joint ProPublica And BNC News The project launched in January found that museums hold more than 100,000 Native American remains, a direct violation of NAGPRA.) Today’s report notes that NAGPRA does not impose this requirement for loaned artwork, which include many items from the Diker Collection at the Met.
The investigation brings to light one of these objects: a quiver and arrows set exhibited at the Met in 2019. The museum lists the object culture as “Apache”. The report alleges that this characterization “shows a lack of due diligence” in consulting with Indigenous communities. “Had Met curators contacted any of these tribes, they might have learned which group created the objects,” the report said. NAGPRA representative Ramon Riley of the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona said he believed the arrows were a grave item, which would require reporting.
ProPublica also details the history surrounding the quivers, which were excluded from the object’s museum label. It explains the brutality of U.S. Army General William Tecumseh Sherman’s military campaign against the Apache people in the 1870s. It also talks about the Smithsonian’s demand that Sherman deliver “specimens” to the Washington, D.C. institution . These objects were then distributed to other museums. The Met has since removed the object from view, citing cultural sensitivity, according to ProPublica.
Other objects show provenance discrepancies, even when this information is available. The story of a Alutiiq mask from the 1870s, for example, lists the object’s only location prior to 2003 as “The Horner Family, Mill Valley, California”. Looting of Alutiiq artefacts, particularly in the late 1800s, is well documented and can be traced back to 2008 when the Dikers purchased the mask. The theft of these objects is also linked to a century of massacres, abuse and cultural erasure. The dish description of the object doesn’t mention it, instead explaining the spiritual significance of the artwork. (The label also adds that early 20th-century modernists were “drawn to the bold simplicity of these works.”)
The Met acquired the mask in 2017 but only informed the Alutiiq tribe of Old Harbor last year. The report says the Met sent notices to 63 tribes in September 2022, after ProPublica inquired about some of the items in the Diker collection.
In an email to Hyperallergica Met spokesperson wrote, “The exceptional works by Native American and Indigenous artists included in the Diker Collection have helped transform the Met’s conventional narratives of American art and culture, and encouraged greater inclusion and celebration of the creative expressions of communities whose voices and artistic practices have long been marginalized and ignored.
“Our goal is to continue to work collaboratively and support Native American and Indigenous communities, while highlighting their perspectives relevant to the collections currently in our care,” the spokesperson continued. “We are proud of the progress we have made and recognize that there is still a lot of work to be done. The Met is dedicated to the ongoing work required by NAGPRA, especially in strengthening relationships with home communities, organizing community consultations and visits, reviewing and supporting potential repatriations, and developing opportunities for collaborative partnerships.
In an opinion piece published on Hyperallergic On April 19, the Met’s first curator of Native American art, Patricia Marroquin Norby, describes the complexities of repatriating Native objects and reflects on the Met’s increased interest in Native American art and communities. She also states that the Diker collection has “already been extensively researched and exhibited at many institutions across the country, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. “.
“More important, but less visible to the public, were the much-needed collaborations with Native American source communities regarding items currently in the custody of the Met,” Norby writes. “Some tribes are asking for repatriation, while others favor a co-stewardship approach or prefer that the works remain in the museum. The needs of the community are diverse, but very specific.
Charles and Valérie Diker told ProPublica they had assessed “all available provenance information” before acquiring their Native American works. “For nearly 50 years, inspiring appreciation for the arts of Native Americans has been our greatest passion,” they added. Hyperallergic could not reach the Dikers for comment.
