Provenance
The circumstances under which the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) acquired the George and Louise Patten collection of Salem Hyde papers and cultural artifacts are a valuable lens through which to engage in discussions regarding colonialism and issues surrounding the theft and unauthorized removal of cultural patrimony. The cultures that produced the pieces in the collection existed centuries before Columbus encountered the Americas. Scholars credit ancient cultures, such as the Valdivia– a civilization in Ecuador that thrived from 3500 B.C.E. to 1500 B.C.E., with the creation of these works. Centuries later in the mid-20th century, Emilio Estrada and his team orchestrated archaeological digs that unearthed these pieces, sparking the interest of Salem Hyde, an amateur archaeologist and businessman from Cleveland, Tennessee. During his travels through Central and South America, Hyde and his wife, Louise, befriended the Estrada family and obtained the works that comprise UTC’s collection. In memory of Louise, Hyde donated the collection to the Department of Anthropology. As curators, we are extremely appreciative and privileged to have access to this collection. Our research on these works has also fostered our understanding that these objects represent the cultural patrimony of the Indigenous heritage of Central America. Although the histories of these artifacts can not be definitive, their record of ownership– or provenance– can be.
The George and Louise Patten collection of Salem Hyde papers and cultural artifacts is valuable as a reflection of transcontinental dialogue across the Americas by way of the ancient artifacts and correspondence between Salem Hyde and Emilio Estrada that it comprises. While this collection reveals a sense of community between Hyde and his contemporaries, it also invites fresh discussion regarding issues of provenance and the Indigenous ownership of cultural artifacts.
Emilio Estrada was an active archaeologist in Ecuador during the 1950s. He focused his efforts on excavating ancient sites created by civilisations such as La Tolita, Guangala, and Valdivia. These cultures existed from 3500 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E., roughly at the same time, the Old Kingdom in Ancient Egypt was building the massive pyramids found at Giza and other necropolis sites.
Emilio Estrada (1916-1961) was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador. In 1934, he graduated from high school at Baylor Military Academy in Chattanooga, Tennessee, along with his five brothers. Later in his life, his ties to Chattanooga connected him to Salem Hyde, an amateur archaeologist and businessman living in Cleveland, Tennessee. The friendship between Estrada and Hyde eventually lead to the development of a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts from Ecuador and other archaeological sites in Central and South America to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
In the 1950s, Emilio Estrada took up archaeological research, focusing on the idea of transregional contact between Japan and the coast of Latin America centuries before Columbus. Later in his career, Estrada established a dialogue with Smithsonian archaeologists, Betty Meggers and Clifford Evans, seeking their feedback on his theory. Estrada advocated for archaeologists of the Americas to further investigate the broader dimensions of the ancient history of Ecuador and potential transregional relationships.
Salem Hyde (1906-1969) was an insurance businessman and an amateur archaeologist that lived in Cleveland, Tennessee. He and Louise, his first wife, travelled throughout Latin America touring ancient archaeological sites, studying at local museums, and participating in these excavations of ancient sites.
In 1959, Hyde connected with the Estrada brothers in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Lucho Estrada offered his guidance and showed Ecuador to Hyde and his wife, Louise. Hyde admired the peoples of Ecuador and sought to share its artistic and academic achievements with many in the United States.
During their trips, Salem Hyde and his wife, Louise, visited the Museo Victor Emilio Estrada in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Estrada's museum highlighted ancient Indigenous histories of Ecuador and their cultural achievements. Unfortunately, the museum no longer exists.
Hyde acquired these heads from figurines with the help of Estrada during his visits to Ecuador, and brought them back to Tennessee. While these figurines have been preserved at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, they bring forward important issues of cultural heritage, such as whether cultural artifacts should remain in foreign collections or repatriated to their points of origin. Hyde intended to use the collection as a means to share knowledge of ancient cultures across borders, but they also exemplify Ecuadorian cultural patrimony.
After returning to the United States, Hyde stayed in communication with the Estradas. He was particularly interested in promoting Emilio Estrada as an archaeologist and his discoveries on a transpacific dialogue between ancient civilizations. Even after Emilio Estrada's passing in 1961, Hyde supported his research.
In January 1969, Salem Hyde donated his collection of pre-Columbian artifacts to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, in memoriam of his wife, Louise, and with the hopes of contributing to the development of the Department of Anthropology. Hyde was passionate about fomenting research on the art of the ancient Americas in academic discourse.
Louise Patten-Hyde married Salem Hyde sometime between 1940 and her death in 1963. He was her second husband. Patten-Hyde was an alumni of the University of Chattanooga, having graduated in 1932. While accompanying Hyde on his travels to Ecuador, she developed an interest in studying ancient civilizations.
The Special Collections unit of the Library at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is actively rehousing and digitizing this collection to preserve the artifacts and further research surrounding provenance and ownership in the George and Louise Patten collection of Salem Hyde papers and cultural artifacts.