ABSTRACT
There exists a multi-billion-dollar industry in the illicit trading in stolen and illegally exported cultural objects, and most of these cultural treasures are intertwined with cultures as well as the sovereignty of exploited countries and tribal nations. As the persisting international demand for cultural treasures reinforces their smuggling from art-rich countries and Indigenous communities, corresponding demands for the return/restitution of these smuggled cultural objects constantly increase in intensity. Following countries and cultures demanding the return of valuable cultural treasures confiscated by continuing thefts – especially during military conflicts and from colonization – litigation, mediation, and settlement agreements relating to these cultural works continue to be at the core of initiatives to regain or repair sovereignty of vulnerable source countries as well as tribal nations.
