A scene from the Indianerkinderfest at the Karl May Museum in Germany. Photo from Facebook

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan will work with a museum in Germany to study a scalp whose origin has been contested by the museum.

The tribe requested the return of the scalp, believing it to represent an ancestor. It's one of 17 scalps being held by the Karl May Museum.

"In respect for the collective feelings of the Chippewa Indians, we are going to conduct our joint research work on the scalp (with the) highest possible scientific accuracy," museum director Claudia Kaulfuss told AFP.

The scalp was reportedly purchased from the descendants of a Dakota chief in 1904, according to WikiPedia. The Dakota chief purportedly took it from a Chippewa warrior during a battle, according to a collector who co-founded the museum.

Get the Story:
German museum agrees to study on contested Native American scalp (AFP 9/4)

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