Acquisitions Statement
The IUMAA, like most museums, acquires collections in a variety of ways—donations, purchases, transfers, and field collections. The bulk of the Museum’s holdings has been assembled from a number of predecessor institutions and collections at Indiana University that date back to the early 20th century. The archaeological repository at IUMAA holds many archaeological collections in public trust based on their association with public lands. While current IUMAA policies and practices are in keeping with contemporary legal and ethical standards, we acknowledge this may not be true of earlier collecting methods. Some objects in our collection were acquired in ways that would now be considered unethical, improper, or illegal with little regard for the cultural traditions of the source communities. We are committed to collaborating with relevant community members on their curation, care, and/or repatriation, and ensuring that specific legal guidelines like NAGPRA are upheld. Future collections will be acquired with only the highest ethical practices.