The museum dedicated to the famous author Karl May has returned a scalp from its collection to the Chippewa Indians seven years after an initial complaint.
A scalp exhibited at the Karl May Museum is being returned to the Chippewa tribeImage: Stefan Kuhfs/dpa/Karl-May-Museum/picture alliance
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Back in 2014, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians from the US state of Michigan sent a letter of complaint to the Karl May Museum in the eastern German state of Saxony.
A US visitor to the museum had alerted the tribe to an item on display there: a human scalp.
The museum, which is dedicated to the works of legendary German "Wild West" writer Karl May, initially refused to return it, saying the staff could not ascertain its origins.
"This individual was taken without the authority to do so and placed in a museum to be shown like a picture on the wall," stated a 2015 report from the tribe, which set in motion a series of changes: a specially commissioned study, a new ethnographic specialist at the museum and mediation by the US State Department, which is now the custodian of the human remains on behalf of the Chippewa Indians.
Native American exhibits feature at the museum on account of May's Winnetou books Image: Hans Zaglitsch
On Monday, the museum returned the human remains to the consul general of the United States in Leipzig, Ken Toko, and to the cultural attache of the US Embassy, David Mees. "We welcome the decision of the Board of Trustees of the Karl May Foundation to agree to the return of an object sacred to the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This is an important step for the Karl May Museum in Radebeul and we look forward to future cooperation," said Toko at the ceremony.
In the spirit of international understanding
"Over the past six years, extensive research has been conducted into the provenance of the human remains. No evidence of any wrongdoing or colonial origin has been confirmed. The Karl May Foundation decided to make this transfer of its own free will in the interest of international understanding and good cooperation with the Native Americans," said Volkmar Kunze, chairman of the board of the Karl May Foundation Radebeul during the ceremony.
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Barbara Klepsch, Saxony's minister of state for culture and tourism, who was also present at the ceremony, echoed his words, adding that the state government has always supported the amicable solution in the spirit of humanity and respect for other cultures, "entirely in May's sense."
The museum is located in Karl May's former home, in Radebeul, SaxonyImage: Matthias Hiekel/dpa/picture alliance
The story behind the scalp
The museum had previously posted its own story of the scalp's origin on its website: It is said to have been donated in 1926, shortly before the museum opened, by Ernst Tobis, an eccentric Austrian world traveler who went by the name of Patty Frank, and who claimed to have acquired the scalp in exchange for two bottles of whiskey, a bottle of apricot brandy and $100. The Karl May enthusiast had bequeathed his collection of Native American artifacts to the museum.
But, following the claim by the Chippewa, the museum removed the story, admitting that its truth couldn't be verified.
Studies conducted by the museum and tribe couldn't determine with certainty to which Native American people it belonged. But since the feathers and amulets attached to the scalp were consistent with Sioux tradition, as determined in the 2015 Chippewa report, it was found that it could possibly have been "an Ojibwe person killed in combat."
Six years later, the museum finally acquiesced to the tribe's plea to "come together to mend the broken spirit of our Ancestor."
The museum still has a number of other scalps, some belonging to white people, whose origins are yet to be ascertained. In a previous interview with DW, museum director Robin Leipold said that it would decide on a case by case basis how to deal with these remains.
Karl May, creator of Winnetou
Winnetou was the Harry Potter of the 19th century. May was Germany's first best-selling author. The popular writer is increasingly controversial. Here's a look back at his life.
Image: Karl-May-Museum Radebeul
Germany's first best-selling author
This pictures dates from 1910, at the height of Karl May's success. The author wrote 70 books, which sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. At the beginning of the 20th century, his characters were as famous as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter or Luke Skywalker from "Star Wars." May's stories accompanied generations of young Germans on fantastic journeys to distant worlds.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
Winnetou and Old Shatterhand
In America's Wild West, Old Shatterhand, a German engineer, unites with his blood brother and the wise chief of the Apaches, Winnetou, to fight against rascals and crooks. They're portrayed here by Pierre Brice (left) and Lex Barker (right) in a 1963 film version. May's interpretation of the Wild West was a fantasy, however: at the time the story was written in 1875, he had never left Germany.
Image: picture alliance/United Archives/IFTN
Home in Hohenstein-Ernstthal
Karl Friedrich May was born on February 25, 1842, to a family of poor weavers, in this green house in Saxony's Ore Mountains. Nine of his 13 siblings died as young children. May wanted to become a teacher, but minor thefts landed him in jail several times. Afterward, he survived on occasional jobs and as a con man - until he was first published in 1874.
Image: picture alliance / ZB
Getting into character
May wrote serialized novels for magazines, blurring the boundaries between reality and fiction. As narrator, he chronicled the trips he would have liked to have experienced. Getting into character, he had costumes made and posed for photos. Here, he's seen as his alter ego, Old Shatterhand. The leather jacket, lasso and animal tooth chain are on display at the Karl May Museum in Radebeul.
Image: Karl-May-Museum Radebeul
First wife, first novel
In 1878, May began living with his girlfriend, Emma Pollmer. They married two years later. May spent his days and nights writing, and soon earned enough money for the couple to move into a rented apartment in Dresden. He began work on his first successful novel, "Das Waldröschen," which sent its main character, the German doctor Karl Sternau, around the world.
Image: Karl May Museum
Successful author
In the 1890s, May began publishing the books that made him rich and famous: "Treasure of Silver Lake," the Winnetou trilogy, "Durchs wilde Kurdistan" (Through wild Kurdistan) and more. The imaginative con man had become a successful author.
Image: picture-alliance / akg-images
A German abroad
Written from a first-person perspective, May's series of stories depicting travels through the Ottoman empire feature another of his alter egos: Kara Ben Nemsi. Although the books reflected the period's typical colonial views, they still promoted dialogue between societies. May's first real trip abroad was to the Middle East, when he toured Egypt in 1899.
Image: gemeinfrei
Off to America
When May married his second wife, Klara Plöhn, in 1903, he was a rich but controversial figure. He was regularly accused of fraud and plagiarism, and the disputes affected his health. He nevertheless set off with Klara for his second major trip abroad in 1908, to North America. He didn't reach the Wild West, however - his westernmost destination was Niagara Falls.
Image: Karl May Museum
German classics
May died on March 30, 1912 in Radebeul, near Dresden. His works have become classics of popular literature, and these green volumes were proudly kept on the bookshelves of German households for several generations. For many years, however, East German citizens weren't allowed to read them — the lands depicted in these tales were not "socialist brother states."
Image: picture alliance / dpa
Increasingly controversial
In West Germany, the Winnetou films in the 1960s triggered a renewed interest, and May's tales have been performed on stage for years. In 1987, Deutsche Post created another tribute to the author's most famous character to mark the 75th anniversary of May's death. But amid growing awareness for cultural appropriation, Germany is wrestling with May's increasingly controversial legacy.
Image: Imago/Schöning
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Bestselling author of his times
May wrote 70 books, which sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. May's stories took generations of young Germans on fantastic journeys to distant worlds.
Among his best known characters was Old Shatterhand, a German engineer who together with his "blood brother," Winnetou, the "wise chief of the Apaches," fought against injustice and crime.
With the growing awareness surrounding the problematic fetishization of Native people, May's legacy is also being critically revisited. The author's interpretation of the Wild West was purely fantasy: At the time the story was written in 1875, he had never left Germany.
