Bones of Contention

2012-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

On our Facebook Causes page we're going from strength to strength with over 200 members. Thanks to everyone for their support.

We are updating our website often with news stories and case updates. We have a number of new cases in development so watch this space!

Our cases usually have to remain confidential until completed- this is done at the request of the Native people concerned. However, we can report on a successful repatriation from London last year. Click here to take a look.

Updates and Developments

2012-01-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

During 2012 we'll be working on a number of new human remains cases and also spending time on some of our older outstanding cases tracing descendants whose ancestor's remains are currently stored in the UK's museums.

As we move forward with these we'll publish details on our website at www.fourdirections.org.uk and post updates in this blog and on our Facebook page. We'll also be using these media to ask for help in tracing and contacting possible descendants.

Our Facebook membership is growing and is now well past the one hundred mark. If you haven't already signed up you can do so here. And if you've already signed up it woud be great if you could get some of your friends to join us.

We're also adding new pages to our website and updating some of the existing pages with new information. If you are a follower of this blog you'll be notified when we post new massages here about our updates - just click on the "Join this site" button opposite.

Website

2011-08-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that the updates to our Website went live on 11 August. We're planning further enhancements to the site towards the end of this year, beginning of 2012. Meanwhile we'll keep the site updated with relevant news and articles and any developments revealed through our ongoing researches.

Going Live

2011-08-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our website is being relaunched on Thursday next, 11 August. Whilst the general look and feel won't change much it will have been tidied up and should be easier to navigate. We've also checked all the various links are working and have started updating our database, information and news sections. Everything should be in place from about 1.00 a.m. BST on Thursday.

www.fourdirections.org.uk

Facebook Cause Launched

2011-07-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Four Directions UK is now on Facebook - click here to take a look and sign up.

Relaunch

2011-04-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Following some reorganisation we're about to relaunch our website and this blog. We'll also be setting up a Facebook page in the next few weeks. To be kept informed until then sign up to follow this blog and you'll get all the latest information.

2010-04-22T17:13:00.001-07:00

Four Directions UK is now fully up and running and we're working hard contacting museums and reviewing collections lists. And we're already working on a first repatriation of human remains from a museum in the southeast of England to Hawai'i.

If you represent a native nation or organisation and would like us to help you check for items held in UK museum collections, or with a specific repatriation request please get in touch at four.directions@virgin.net. We're a voluntary organisation and never charge for our services.

If you work for a UK museum and would like to know more about us, our work or have queries about repatriation in general or of specific items, drop us an email at four.directions.org.uk

We've been updating our Website at weww.fourdirections.org.uk and are adding information to help with repatriation requests from Native people and guidance for museums.

Welcome to the new Four Directions UK Blog

2010-02-03T15:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new "Bones of Contention" blog for Four Directions UK. To find out more about us go to www.fourdirections.org.uk. You can also join us on Facebook by clicking here.

Below is our "mission". If you'd like to be kept up to date with changes to our website or to find out how you can get involved and help us in our work, please send a blank email with "subscribe" in the subject line to four.directions@virgin.net

Four Directions UK stands for the rights of indigenous people to decide how the remains of their ancestors and items relating to their culture should be handled, stored, displayed and disposed of, irrespective of who holds them and where they are held. These items include human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and other objects of cultural patrimony.

We carry out research, mainly in the UK but also elsewhere in Europe, to locate such items and, where possible, to identify their origin and provenance.

Where we have knowledge of indigenous cultural items held in public or private collections we will seek to establish their nation of origin and to inform indigenous nations of the items’ whereabouts and situation. If requested we will assist nations and lineal descendants to use all legal means to recover such items.

Where we locate indigenous human remains in collections we will use all endeavours to establish their origin. If successful we will contact the indigenous nations from whom the remains originated to inform them of our findings and to establish what action, if any, they wish to take in respect of the remains.