In 2022, Bishop Museum began a process of internal review where we, like museums all around the world, looked closely at our policies, processes, and practices that support collection stewardship and community engagement. We considered the complexity of our more than 135-year institutional history and the accelerated rate of change the museum field is experiencing in our time.

The collection is at the core of the Museum. Therefore, changes in policy and stewardship around the collection will produce institutional change, including addressing Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) claims; developing an Ethical Returns Policy, especially for Pacific regions represented in the collection but not covered under NAGPRA; and formalizing multi-generational co-stewardship arrangements with families who, along with Bishop Museum staff, have long cared for particular collection items at the Musuem. Such co-stewardship arrangements necessitate a Shared Stewardship Policy, and an invitation for people to collaborate with us through Customary Care.

It was also very clear this work could only be done by building trust with source communities. It meant investing a great deal more time and energy into humbling conversations, daunting inventories, provenance research, and community consultation. Truth-telling and listening as part of a responsive dialogue, and a willingness to change were foundational aspects of this process in the early stages. That foundation had to become actionable in ways that demonstrate the Museum’s commitment to best practices and high ethical standards.

Our first step in responding to the call for museums to act is formalizing our policies and procedures for NAGPRA, Ethical Returns, and Shared Stewardship. The second step is to follow through on a multi-year plan to continue with the requisite research and collection inventories involved. We will continue to share our progress on this work transparently and often. This statement is our commitment to comply with federal regulations associated with NAGPRA and to uphold an ethical standard that reflects the legacy of our namesake, ke aliʻi Bernice Pauahi Paki Bishop.