Provenance: The documented history of ownership and custody of an object or work of art, including past owners and collectors, locations, and the method by which the art transferred ownership.
Provenance Research: The process of investigating and documenting the history of an artwork, often involving archival research, examination of documents, and analysis of any physical evidence, including the object.
Provenience: A specific location where an archeological artifact or artwork was found.
Authenticity: The state of being genuine and not a forgery or reproduction.
Attribution: Determining the identity of the artist or creator of a work of art.
Bad Actors: An individual or entity involved in malicious or unethical activities, often violating laws, regulations, or ethical standards.
Catalogue Raisonné: A comprehensive catalog of all known works by a particular artist, often including provenance information.
Certificate of Authenticity: A document issued by an artist, artist's estate, or authentication committee, confirming the authenticity of a work of art.
Looted or Stolen Art: Art that was acquired through theft or looting.
Sales Invoice: Documentation that records the sale price of an object.
Exhibition Catalog: Documentation of the history of an object's display in an exhibition.
Gallery Consignment Reports: Documentation on an object currently or previously in the gallery's possession.
Export Licenses: Records of the official exportation of an object or artwork from a country.
Photographs: Visual records that can help to establish provenance.
Private Collection: When the collector's name is unknown or the collector's name is known but they wish to remain anonymous.
Unidentified Dealer: When it is known that the work was with a Dealer, but the Dealer's name is unknown.
Purchased by: The object was purchased by the named party.
Given by: The object was gifted or donated to the named party.
Bequest of: The object was given to the named party through a will or other means following the previous owner's death.
Commissioned by: The object was created for the named party.
Inheritance: The object was given to the named party following the death of a family member.
Forced Sale: The named party purchased the object using involuntary pressure on the seller.
Restitution: The object is returned after having previously been acquired illegally.
Repatriation: The process of returning cultural artifacts to their country of community of origin.
Rematriation: Used in some Indigenous communities, describes the return of cultural objects and/or ancestral lands to the Indigenous peoples from which they originated. Rematriation stems from a reframing of the concept of repatriation.
NAGPRA: Native American Graves and Repatriation Act
Associated Funerary Objects: Objects created for the intentional placement of human remains in the possession or control of the museum of Federal agency
Unassociated Funerary Objects: Objects for human remains not in the possession or control of the museum or Federal agency
Objects of Cultural Patrimony: items having ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Indian tribe of Native Hawaiian organization itself, rather than property owned by an individual tribal or organization member.
Sacred Objects: objects that are specific ceremonial objects needed by traditional Native American religious leaders for the practice of traditional Native American religions
Authorized Tribal Representative: A tribal member with the official authority from their current government to discuss and make decisions about cultural items and repatriation on behalf of the Tribe. The role is often fulfilled by the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) or NAGPRA Representatives, but can be individuals with other titles.
Burial Site: Any natural or prepared physical location into which individual human remains are deposited as part of a culture's death rite or ceremony.
Consultation: A process involving the exchange of information, open discussion, and joint deliberations with respect to potential issues, changes, or actions by all interested parties.
Cultural Affiliation: A relationship of shared group identity that can be reasonably traced historically or prehistorically between a present-day Indian tribe organization and an identifiable earlier group.
Human Remains (Ancestors): The physical remains of the body of a person of Native American ancestry.
Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe: Any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians, including any Alaska Native village, which is recognized as eligible for specific programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status. Applies to Native Hawaiian organizations as well.