In February, a person from southern Alberta flew to South America to return an historical artefact his household had been gifted many years earlier than.
Dan McDougall from Okotoks, Alta., says a jade amulet from Costa Rica had been with them for greater than 50 years.
“In 1971, my dad or mum sponsored an change scholar from Costa Rica,” defined McDougall. “His father was so impressed with a few of the issues he obtained to do, he despatched my father this artefact as a thanks.”
An image of the Costa Rican change scholar in Sherwood Park 1971.
Don McDougall
McDougall described his late father as a rock-hound who took any alternative to take the household all through Western Canada to search for fossils, agates and petrified wooden.
McDougall stated that after his mom handed away, he began to consider the amulet once more.
“I used to be going by my dad’s rock assortment and naturally I got here throughout the artefact,” McDougall stated. “We knew (it) was at all times there, however it brought on me to perform a little analysis.”
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That analysis led him to find the small jade amulet had probably been used for ceremonial burials and might be effectively over a thousand years previous.
“It might be as previous as 1,500 years previous,” stated McDougall. “So at the moment I made a decision this factor doesn’t belong right here.”
Dimension comparability of the amulet given to the McDougall household.
Don McDougall
McDougall stated he despatched out electronic mail inquires to museums in Costa Rica and nearly instantly obtained a reply from a consultant with the Nationwide Museum of Costa Rica in San Jose; their electronic mail stated they had been excited to look at the piece of Costa Rican historical past.
On Feb 4, McDougall flew to San Jose the place he was met by an archaeologist and a police escort. The archeologist verified the authenticity of the artefact and instructed McDougall it might be anyplace from 1,300 to 2,500 years previous.
“Then we did the official switch, I needed to signal some paperwork and so forth,” stated McDougall. “They very taken with how I used to be capable of purchase the artefact within the first place.”
Don McDougall assembly Costa Rican authorities upon arriving in San Jose.
Don Mcdougall
College of British Columbia professor emeritus Michael Blake instructed World Information that what McDougall did is an ideal instance of what others must be doing.
“That’s simply nice,” Blake defined. “A terrific instance of how folks respecting the tradition of the place the place these objects come from.”
A pattern of different Costa Rican artefacts on the Nationwide Museum of Costa Rica.
Don McDougall
McDougall instructed World Information the Nationwide Museum of Costa Rica is creating a brand new exhibit through which the jade amulet can be displayed as considered one of many different gadgets which were repatriated to Costa Rica through the years.
McDougall and his spouse are nonetheless deciding whether or not or not they may return to Costa Rica when the exhibit opens.
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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