"An Aboriginal artifact headed to the National Museum of Australia is an illustration of the Seattle Art Museum's willingness to be honest and fair about its acquisitions.

Experts in Australian art were visiting Pamela McCluskey, SAM's curator of Africa and Oceania art, when they noticed a ceremonial stone, known to indigenous Australians as a tjuringa.

The stone had been in the Seattle museum's collections since 1971, but it had never been publicly exhibited. McCluskey launched her investigation into the object's history in 2006 and recently announced it would be returned to Australia.

A simple move, but one steeped in respect for another culture's point of view.

It was the first time an American-collecting institution has willingly returned a sacred object to Australia."

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Editorial: By returning an Aboriginal artifact, Seattle Art Museum respects a culture (The Seattle Times 7/4)