via Rappler, 09 January 2024: The repatriation of the Von Dem Hagen Collection, including ancient Cotabato limestone urns, marks a significant moment in Filipino heritage conservation. These artifacts, once part of Sally von dem Hagen’s collection and now returning from California, symbolize the restoration of cultural dignity and the importance of ethical collecting. The National Museum of the Philippines plays a pivotal role in this cultural homecoming, highlighting the ongoing efforts in preserving and understanding Filipino history and identity.
The narrative of a single jar, bought from an antique shop in 1977, bound Sally von dem Hagen to the legacy of the Manobo. To her, these jars were not mere vessels; they were sacred archives of an age long past, for which she became a devoted custodian. Her collection, soon numbering over 60, transformed into a sanctuary of history spanning centuries.
Sally von dem Hagen’s affinity for the Philippines transcended personal journey, heralding a collective awareness to the importance of heritage and cultural repatriation. As her collection of Cotabato limestone urns prepares for return to Philippine soil after nearly four decades in California, the unfolding narrative celebrates the power of collaboration across borders and generations. Sally’s children, Peter, Stephanie, and Antoinette von dem Hagen, have initiated the repatriation of their mother’s collection, hoping to highlight Sally’s contributions to Philippine heritage conservation.
When Sally departed the Philippines, her collection also crossed the Pacific, its once-local whispers reverberating through the silence of a San Francisco storage. Her personal story precedes a broader conversation on cultural heritage repatriation, underscoring the ethics of cultural possession and heeding history’s often-muted pleas.
Source: The return of ancient Cotabato limestone urns to the PH, the return of dignity to Filipino heritage
