In February, a man from southern Alberta flew to South America to return an ancient artefact his family had been gifted decades before.
Dan McDougall from Okotoks, Alta., says a jade amulet from Costa Rica had been with them for more than 50 years.
“In 1971, my parent sponsored an exchange student from Costa Rica,” explained McDougall. “His father was so impressed with some of the things he got to do, he sent my father this artefact as a thank you.”
McDougall described his late father as a rock-hound who took any opportunity to take the family throughout Western Canada to look for fossils, agates and petrified wood.
McDougall said that after his mother passed away, he started to think about the amulet again.
“I was going through my dad’s rock collection and of course I came across the artefact,” McDougall said. “We knew (it) was always there, but it caused me to do a little research.”
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That research led him to discover the small jade amulet had most likely been used for ceremonial burials and could be well over a thousand years old.
“It could be as old as 1,500 years old,” said McDougall. “So at that time I decided this thing doesn’t belong here.”
McDougall said he sent out email inquires to museums in Costa Rica and almost immediately got a reply from a representative with the National Museum of Costa Rica in San Jose; their email said they were excited to examine the piece of Costa Rican history.
On Feb 4, McDougall flew to San Jose where he was met by an archaeologist and a police escort. The archeologist verified the authenticity of the artefact and told McDougall it could be anywhere from 1,300 to 2,500 years old.
“Then we did the official transfer, I had to sign some documents and so forth,” said McDougall. “They very interested in how I was able to acquire the artefact in the first place.”
University of British Columbia professor emeritus Michael Blake told Global News that what McDougall did is a perfect example of what others should be doing.
“That’s just great,” Blake explained. “A great example of how people respecting the culture of the place where these objects come from.”
McDougall told Global News the National Museum of Costa Rica is creating a new exhibit in which the jade amulet will be displayed as one of many other items that have been repatriated to Costa Rica over the years.
McDougall and his wife are still deciding whether or not they will return to Costa Rica when the exhibit opens.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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