American-Scandinavian Foundation invites you to a virtual panel on “Repatriation & Restitution in the Nordic Countries” on November 18. In this conversation, panelists Martin Appelt (Senior Researcher and Curator, National Museum of Denmark), Eero Ehanti (Head of the Conservation Department, National Museum of Finland), Eeva-Kristiina Harlin (Archeologist & Osteoarchaeologist), & Daniel Thorleifsen (Director, Greenland National Museum and Archives) will discuss topics including the restitution of Greenlandic and Sámi collections from the National Museum of Denmark and National Museum of Finland, respectively, as well as the longer-term impacts of restitution and repatriation of museum collections.

ASF Director of Educational Exchange & Special Projects Sally Yerkovich will moderate.

This event will take place as a Zoom webinar; please ask questions in the chat or send them in advance to  info@amscan.org. Registration is required; please sign up at the link above.

This conversation will be recorded and available later to stream on our Virtual Programming page and on our YouTube channel.

About the Panelists

Martin Appelt is a senior researcher and curator at the National Museum of Denmark, responsible for the Arctic and Sub-Arctic ethnographical collections. He holds a PhD from University of Aarhus in arctic archaeology, and has conducted archaeological and trans-disciplinary fieldwork primarily in Greenland across the last 30 years. He has also been responsible for or involved in a number of Arctic exhibitions displayed in Denmark, Greenland, and internationally. In collaboration with artist Nuka Konrad Godtfredsen, among others, he developed the internationally acclaimed graphic novel series “Oqaluttuaq”. He is presently involved in the large Carlsberg Foundation-sponsored project “Activating Arctic Heritage” developed in collaboration between the national museums in Nuuk and Copenhagen.

Eero Ehanti has a MA in Art History from the University of Helsinki, a BA in conservation from Metropolia University of Applied Sciences and 20 years of experience in various museum positions in Finland and abroad. Early on he specialized in conservation of cultural historical objects, but has since then worked on research, collections management and exhibitions of a wide range. Since 2016 he has led the conservation department at the National Museum of Finland. He also chaired the Finnish committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) for six years. For Eero, museums are a means for understanding, communication, and creativity.

Eeva-Kristiina Harlin is an archeologist from the University of Helsinki and osteoarchaeologist from the University of Stockholm. She is finalizing her thesis “From Repatriation to Rematriation – Sámi Heritage and the Change of Paradigm” at the University of Oulu, Giellagas Institute (Institute for Saami Studies) in Finland. She has worked with themes such as Sámi cultural heritage, research ethics and repatriation questions together with the Sámi society for a long time. Currently she works with the new permanent exhibition for Sámi Museum SIIDA and also with the joint repatriation exhibition between SIIDA and the National Museum of Finland. In addition to her scientific articles, she has launched a book Ládjogahpir – Máttaráhkuid gábagahpir in 2020 together with Sámi artist Outi Pieski which presents in book form the past, future and present stories of the Sámi horn hat — the ládjogahpir — and the rematriation of its existence, use, making and wearing.

Daniel Thorleifsen is Greenlandic Inuit and, for more than 16 years, the Director of the Greenland National Museum and Archives, Nunatta Katersugaasivia, in Nuuk, Greenland. Before joining the National Museum he was an Associate Professor in History & Head of the Department at Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland. As Director of the Museum, he oversees the 35,000 archaeological and ethnological objects, artifacts and human remains that were transferred from Denmark to Greenland in the late 20th and early 21st century.

About the Moderator

Sally Yerkovich is ASF Director of Educational Exchange and Special Projects. A cultural anthropologist, she has over 20 years of experience working in museums. She is the Chair of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Standing Committee on Ethics, which often considers issues related to the restitution/repatriation of objects from museum collections.