What we oweto those who made them.

For every object, the fragment names the institution that holds it and, when it is known, how it was acquired. When the context of acquisition was colonial, or when it is unknown, the fragment says so plainly instead of leaving it out.

We follow the approach of the report on the restitution of African cultural heritage written by Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy in 2018: provenance is part of the story of the object, not a footnote. Holding institutions are named as they are; the names of places and peoples follow the forms their communities use.

Human remains are shown only when they are essential to the fragment, never as spectacle, and always behind a notice that lets you read the record without seeing the image. We follow article 4.3 of the ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums, which asks that such material be displayed with dignity and with regard for the beliefs of the communities from which it comes.

When an object is held as sacred by a living community, its image is veiled by default and a notice explains why. You choose whether to see it.

When a source provides Local Contexts labels (Traditional Knowledge and Biocultural labels, set by communities to state their own rules for their heritage), we display them next to the object. We apply the CARE principles for Indigenous data governance (collective benefit, authority to control, responsibility, ethics): a community's request about its own heritage takes precedence over our wish to show it.

Anyone can ask us to correct a fragment or to remove a media: a rights holder, a member of a community of origin, a researcher, a visitor who spotted an error. Use the form below, or write to us if you prefer.

We acknowledge every request and answer within 14 days with a reasoned decision. While a rights claim or a request about sensitive heritage is examined, the media concerned is withdrawn at once. Decisions are recorded, and the fragment says when it has been corrected.

Your request goes to the archive's moderation queue. An email address is optional: give one only if you want to receive our decision. It is erased 30 days after the request is closed.