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Page Number

1

Abstract

Though Swedish explorer and scientist Gustaf Nordenskiöld was far from the first individual to excavate at what is now Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, reports and rumors that a foreigner was shipping antiquities and human remains excavated at Mesa Verde out of the country sent some American citizens into an uproar. The controversy led to Nordenskiöld's arrest and the seizure of his 1400-plus pound Mesa Verde collection, but charges were dropped when it was later discovered that he broke no laws at the time by digging on American public land. More than 100 years have passed since Nordenskiöld shipped his collection back to Sweden, but inquiries into the possessory status of his collection continue today. This article analyzes those inquiries and the legal bases upon which they rest. It discusses the impact of nationalism and legality in shaping arguments, both for and against, the repatriation of Nordenskiöld's collection. Moreover, it details the influence Nordenskiöld played in impacting the creation of the American Antiquities Act of 1906 and the establishment of Mesa Verde National Park. Using interviews and email communications from private citizens and representatives from the National Park Service and National Museum of Finland, the current home of Nordenskiöld's collection, this article also tells the story of the 1991 loan of 17 objects from the National Museum of Finland to the National Park Service as part of a Nordenskiöld centennial exhibit. Finally, it provides a discussion on the current possessory status of Nordenskiöld's Mesa Verde collection.

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