Native American Human Scalp Returned By Karl May Museum, 'Wild West' German Writer Read By Hitler

[appalachiablue]

- The museum is located in Karl May's former home, in Radebeul, Saxony.
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'Karl May Museum returns Native American human scalp.' DW, April 13, 2021. - Ed. The museum dedicated to the famous author Karl May has returned a scalp from its collection to the Chippewa Indians 7 years after an initial complaint.

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 scalp exhibited at the Karl May Museum is being returned to the Chippewa tribe.

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 6 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..

- The story behind the scalp:.. 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..



- Karl May (1842- 1912), German story writer dressed as Old Shatterhand.

- 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...

More, https://www.dw.com/en/karl-may-museum-returns-native-american-human-scalp/a-57181103
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- Winnetou, Many Germans (Even Hitler) Fell In Love With The Unrealistic Indian.
https://www.dw.com/en/winnetou-why-so-many-germans-fell-in-love-with-the-unrealistic-indian/a-36861258

Winnetou: Why so many Germans fell in love with the unrealistic 'Indian.'
Generations of young Germans have been fans of Indian Winnetou and his German friend Old Shatterhand - even Adolf Hitler. Now that the Karl May story has been refilmed, DW's Susanne Spröer gets to the bottom of it...



- Winnetou books & records were particularly popular in 1970s Germany.



- Karl May Museum exhibits of Native American life.

[2naSalit]

1. All the original stuff should be returned to the Tribes.

[appalachiablue]

4. For sure, no more time to waste

[Omnipresent]

2. A scalp on display might not be the only problem...

Does the Holocaust museum have any lamp shades made of human skin?
I’ve never been there, but just wondering out loud.

[appalachiablue]

5. Not on display at the Holocaust Museum

[Omnipresent]

8. Good, because the nazi's were doing weird shit things like that.

I remember reading about a collector that had soap, the Nazi’s made from holocaust victims. It made me sick to even see it.

[dweller]

3. Winnitou was the Native American

mentioned in the card game the nazis played in Inglorious Basterds... never understood the reference until now ...

✌🏻

[appalachiablue]

6. Never knew that, thanks. The Apache

[Docreed2003]

7. Damn, that's a nice Easter egg!

Thanks for pointing that out!