Intangible Cultural Heritage includes recordings of songs, ceremonies, stories, and other non-physical elements that reflect a community’s collective memory and identity.
Tangible Cultural Heritage, in contrast, consists of physical artifacts, monuments, and sacred sites, which are tied to specific geographical and historical contexts.
These items provide material representations of a community’s heritage and are often regarded as symbols of historical continuity, spiritual significance, or artistic achievement.
These concerns are grounded in historical practices where cultural materials were appropriated or reframed to align with external narratives, sometimes reinforcing biased representations of originating communities.
While digital representations of physical artifacts, such as 3D models or virtual archives, are widely recognized as valuable tools for preservation and accessibility,[4] they often fail to capture the full material, spatial, and emotional significance of the original items.
[16][17] The relocation of artifacts to distant museums or archives, often in foreign countries, further separates these objects from their communities of origin, complicating efforts to convey their full meaning, even when digital surrogates are available.
[18] Efforts to digitally repatriate traditional and esoteric knowledge have provided originating communities with opportunities to collaborate with cultural heritage institutions, preserving materials and ensuring their accessibility.
Many external organizations maintain authority over digitized materials, limiting the ability of originating communities to determine how their heritage is represented and shared.
[20] This dynamic reflects historical patterns where colonial powers asserted dominance over cultural items and narratives, frequently excluding the perspectives of those whose heritage was involved.
Communities within originating cultures seeking to assert ownership over artifacts and materials held in outside institutions may lack the types of documentation that would be accepted in international courts of law,[21] and they may have traditions and beliefs that conflict with Western understandings of individual intellectual property rights.
[26][27] By controlling the digital representations of cultural artifacts, these institutions risk perpetuating historical power dynamics established during colonial rule.
Ensuring that repatriation efforts, whether digital or physical, respect the rights and values of these communities is critical to overcoming the legacy of exploitation and fostering a more inclusive approach to cultural heritage.
[24] Mukurtu CMS is a software specifically designed for managing and sharing digital heritage in culturally relevant and ethically minded ways.
Launched in 2016, Sípnuuk originally started as a food security archive, with the intention of expanding to cover different topics important to the Karuk people.
The Passamaquoddy people wanted to be the cultural authorities of these recordings, which is why they decided to create an archive that their entire community could contribute to and access.
[9] This archive takes full advantage of the Local Contexts TK Labels to prevent the misuse of the Passamaquoddy cultural heritage, as a lot of the recordings are sacred ceremonies or songs meant only for a certain gender or age group.