Sign to support our demands!
Nel Ison
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Lhamo Norbu
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Kalden Amag
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Tenzin Kyizom
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Yeshwant Chitalkar
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Anna Kasperowitz
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Collin Dillard
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Yeshi
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Norzin
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Ralph Karam
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Tenzin
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Priyasakhi Barchi
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Tenzin Yangdol
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Tenzin Pema
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Mia C
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Yisel Garcia
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Alejandra Duran
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Pema C
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Mica Zen
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Soojin Chang
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Ilina Krishen
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Tenchöe Tsarong
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Hanna Gentile
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Carina Gutierrez
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Tuti Thapa
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Tenzing Sedon
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Karman Nam
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Tsewang
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Mariana
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Tenzin Norzin
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Pasang Tsering
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Tsering Dolma
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Lauren Pullano
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Ida Ruff
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Nora McCready
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Fatima Ahmad
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Tenzin Kyizom
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Sarah Haedrich
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emma butler
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selah smith
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Alicia Bukowski
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Taylor McNiff
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James Perez
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Max Markov
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Stella Li
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Madeline Schroeder
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Sasha Cardozo
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Kerensa Fu
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Lianna Mills
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Nicole Bagniefski
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Daria Rudakova
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Natalie Bagniefski
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Jada Thomas
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abby wargo
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Randall Avilez
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Jasmin Lara
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Faith Vo
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John Smith
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Logan Zee
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Gabi Q
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Lily van Baaren
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Sam Moon
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Scott Peters
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Maelly San Martin
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Brooke Peachley
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Leonel Ramírez
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linnea anderson
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Payel Lorente
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Primrose Ottenberg
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McKenzie Fletcher
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Dorian Grunst
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Charlie Fray
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S G
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barbara lee fraser
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Kaity Lloyd-Styles
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Jeremy Lloyd-Styles
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Moshab Rahman
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Soham Chakraborty
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nina macintosh
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Pema W
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Breda Lund
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Nel Ison • Lhamo Norbu • Kalden Amag • Tenzin Kyizom • Yeshwant Chitalkar • Anna Kasperowitz • Collin Dillard • Yeshi • Norzin • Ralph Karam • Tenzin • Priyasakhi Barchi • Tenzin Yangdol • Tenzin Pema • Mia C • Yisel Garcia • Alejandra Duran • Pema C • Mica Zen • Soojin Chang • Ilina Krishen • Tenchöe Tsarong • Hanna Gentile • Carina Gutierrez • Tuti Thapa • Tenzing Sedon • Karman Nam • Tsewang • Mariana • Tenzin Norzin • Pasang Tsering • Tsering Dolma • Lauren Pullano • Ida Ruff • Nora McCready • Fatima Ahmad • Tenzin Kyizom • Sarah Haedrich • emma butler • selah smith • Alicia Bukowski • Taylor McNiff • James Perez • Max Markov • Stella Li • Madeline Schroeder • Sasha Cardozo • Kerensa Fu • Lianna Mills • Nicole Bagniefski • Daria Rudakova • Natalie Bagniefski • Jada Thomas • abby wargo • Randall Avilez • Jasmin Lara • Faith Vo • John Smith • Logan Zee • Gabi Q • Lily van Baaren • Sam Moon • Scott Peters • Maelly San Martin • Brooke Peachley • Leonel Ramírez • linnea anderson • Payel Lorente • Primrose Ottenberg • McKenzie Fletcher • Dorian Grunst • Charlie Fray • S G • barbara lee fraser • Kaity Lloyd-Styles • Jeremy Lloyd-Styles • Moshab Rahman • Soham Chakraborty • nina macintosh • Pema W • Breda Lund •
Signed by:
+ 73 Anonymous Supporters
TOTAL SIGNATURES: 163
To our allies, scholars of Tibet, and those who support Tibetans: We call on you to stand with us.
WE CALL FOR THE RUBIN MUSEUM TO:
Invest money into living Tibetan and Himalayan artists and communities, who often struggle to make livings from their work.
Give objects back. Enter a genuine repatriation process with Tibetan and Himalayan communities. Return The Shrine Room to community spaces stewarded by Tibetan and Himalayan peoples such as monasteries, regional associations, and arts institutes.
Words of support in the form of voice recordings/notes also accepted if preferred. Please email your recordings at ourancestorssayno@protonmail.com
Words of Support by those who signed our letter:
“Sacred objects are ALIVE — and I mean this in a literal sense. They are the bodies of deities and ancestors. And like Tibetan, Himalayan, and all indigenous people, it is their BIRTHRIGHT to be with their kin, community; in their homelands, and partake in ceremony with past, present and future cultural bearers.
All white dominant institutions — including the Rubin — that have possession of sacred object relatives are actively upholding and engaging in settler colonial violence. They are forcibly displacing these sacred bodies from their families and lands whilst simultaneously silencing indigenous calls for return. The Rubin closing its physical doors for a “borderless” traveling museum that parades these relatives is continued forced migration.
END THE DISPLACEMENT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND OBJECT RELATIVES. LET THESE ANCESTORS REST. RETURN THEM TO THEIR PEOPLE NOW.”
“Like the people who worship them, our gods and sacred objects have endured nonstop, violent displacement. Institutions like the Rubin Museum exploit and profit off of our struggle under the guise of “sharing” Himalayan art with the world. They claim to promote mindfulness, but to truly put that into practice is to repatriate their collection to our communities and financially support living Himalayan artists!”
“It is ridiculous that people who seem to love these artifacts are so willing to divorce these items from it’s community. You do not love our culture, you love to hoard.”
“Stop profiting off of Tibetan culture traditions and religion with no thoughts of benefiting any Tibetan but yourself. No thank you.”
“We the Tibetans want our sacred artifacts returned to us so that it can be maintained properly by living care takers ( monks and nuns ) of our communities where it will be kept properly and as per our religious and traditional ways. Where later, Tibetans and other buddhist can use it for the reason it exists for.”
“Cultural appropriation and profiting from the artifacts of another culture without compensation is disgusting. White cultures have done so for ages and it needs to stop!!!”
“Instead of housing sacred objects as mere artefacts in sanitised, dead spaces like a display, they need to be brought out and into the circle; like a participant in the day to day of the living breathing community of elders, monks, nuns, ngakmas and larger sangha who venerate them and find meaning in it.”
“Museums are intrinsically immoral and uphold their colonial and imperial foundations. Artifacts and artwork are taken from their native communities to then be gatekept and monetized for western audiences. We call on the Rubin Museum to engage in a true repatriation process of returning cultural art back to Tibetan and Himalayan communities and to invest in current Himalayan artists and projects!”
“Liberation for Tibetans. Himalayan and Tibetan artist deserve to make a living without institutions not paying them what they deserve and mistreating them.”
“Return our sacred sculptures and deities to monasteries where we can worship and serve them right. Rubin museum NEEDS TO STOP THE RELIGIOUS APPROPRIATION!”
“I’ve been going to the Rubin museum for years, and yet I firmly believe this institution profits off cultural appropriative practices and its artwork and sacred objects belong in their homeland, and some of the museums profits belong amongst their communities of origin who will make better and more proactive use of the funds.”
“Even with the most altruistic intentions, misappropriation of art does not equate appreciation of art - nor does it honor the creators, inspirations, and religious significance. Do what is right.”
“Return our gods so our elders can visit them and provide offerings. ”
“Support Living Himalayan Artists!”
“Return what rightfully belongs to another culture. End cultural colonialism!”
“May the Tibetan people see liberation”
“Return our sacred beings and kin!”
“RETURN OUR SACRED OBJECTS.”
“No means NO! You cannot have our culture, land or people.”
“Repatriation now!”
“Sacred objects belong to their original communities—the sooner these objects are returned, the sooner reparations can begin in earnest.”
“Stolen art is never okay!! Give back to the communities you are profiting off of!!!!”
“A museum should exist to serve people, but the Rubin museum benefits off of Tibetan and Himalayan works without being in dialogue with or improving the places that made those works.”
“Put the humanity back into the humanities. Engage with people— especially those of Tibet and other Himalayan communities. Appreciate their presence, their knowledge, seek them out sooner rather than later, and don’t go to them expecting something more of theirs for nothing on your part!”
“Free Tibet. Free Palestine.”
“LAND BACK”
“Give the art back to the people who truly understand the significance of it
It doesn’t need to be collecting dust in a stuffy museum exhibit in the middle of nowhere”
“I hope this petition will achieve its objectives !!”
“Fuck colonizers!”
“this is the right thing to do. it must happen.”
“The art should return to from where it came.”
“Do the right thing!”
“End the pillaging of Indigenous art and culture by cultural institutions! May all the stolen objects be returned.”
signed/supported additionally by:
Priyasakhi Barchi
Tenzin Yangdol
Tenzin Pema
Mia C
Yisel Garcia
Alejandra Duran
Pema C
Mica Zen
Soojin Chang
Ilina Krishen
Tenchöe Tsarong
Hanna Gentile
Carina Gutierrez
Tuti Thapa
Tenzing Sedon
Karman Nam
Tsewang
Mariana
Tenzin Norzin
Pasang Tsering
Tsering Dolma
Lauren Pullano
Ida Ruff
Nora McCready
Fatima Ahmad
Tenzin Kyizom
Sarah Haedrich
emma butler
selah smith
Alicia Bukowski
James Perez
Taylor McNiff
Max Markov
Madeline Schroeder
Sasha Cardozo
Lianna Mills
Nicole Bagniefski
Daria Rudakova
Natalie Bagniefski
Jada Thomas
abby wargo
Randall Avilez
Jasmin Lara
Faith Vo
John Smith
Logan Zee
Gabi Q
Lily van Baaren
Maelly San Martin
Brooke Peachley
Leonel Ramírez
linnea anderson
Payel Lorente
Primrose Ottenberg
McKenzie Fletcher
Dorian Grunst
Charlie Fray
S G
Jeremy Lloyd-Styles
Moshab Rahman
Soham Chakraborty
nina macintosh
Pema W
Breda Lund
+ 73 anonymous supporters