Representatives from the Smithsonian Museum, Ecuador's National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC), Ministry of Culture, and the U.S. Diplomatic Mission have celebrated the return of ancestral remains to three indigenous communities in Ecuador. The remains were repatriated from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) located in Washington, DC.
The remains have been returned to the Sequita Commune and Pepa de Huso Commune in Manabí, the Chachi Federation in Esmeraldas, and the Kayambi People in Pichincha. This process follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between NMAI and Ecuador's Ministry of Culture in 2019.
The official ceremony marking this occasion was attended by several dignitaries including Michael J. Fitzpatrick, U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador; María Elena Machuca, Minister of Culture; Catalina Tello, Executive Director of INPC; Jackie Swift, Repatriation Manager at NMAI; along with other authorities.
Ambassador Fitzpatrick remarked on the significance of this event: “This repatriation is focused on Ecuador’s indigenous communities. The Smithsonian Museum has maintained a direct line of communication with communities, respecting their customs, traditions, and preferences according to their own worldview. The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are a central focus for the U.S. Government, and we respect Ecuador’s indigenous communities.”