Historic Slave Ship Artifact Leaving Smithsonian Museum After Loan Expires

A timber fragment from one of the first recovered slave ships will be removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture next month. The 33-pound piece from the São José-Paquete de Africa will return to South Africa after its 10-year loan agreement expires on July 1.

WASHINGTON — The National Museum of African American History and Culture will undergo changes to its slavery exhibition next month as a significant artifact returns to its country of origin following the conclusion of a lending arrangement.

A 33-pound wooden fragment from the São José-Paquete de Africa, one of the earliest slave ship wrecks ever discovered, will be removed from the museum’s “Slavery and Freedom” display and sent back to South Africa. The timber piece has been a centerpiece of the exhibit since the museum’s opening in 2016.

The lending arrangement with the Iziko Museums of South Africa was originally set for five years, then extended for an additional five years in 2021. That agreement concludes on July 1, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Museum visitors will have until March 22 to view the timber fragment, which has been dramatically presented suspended above a dark space alongside ship ballast. Due to the artifact’s fragile condition, museum staff must construct a specialized shipping container for its journey back to South Africa.

Additional artifacts from the vessel, including ballast stones that served as counterweights for human cargo, will remain on display for two more years before their return. A ship’s manifest detailing the cargo will take the place of the timber piece.

The São José was a Portuguese ship carrying more than 400 enslaved people from Mozambique to Brazil when it crashed into rocks and sank near Cape Town in December 1794. About half of those aboard died in the wreck, while survivors were sold back into bondage in the Western Cape region, according to museum records.

The wreckage was discovered in 2015 and identified through the Slave Wrecks Project, an international collaboration of institutions that verified its connection to the transatlantic slave trade. It represents one of the first confirmed slave ship wrecks where enslaved Africans perished that has been recovered and studied.

Located on the museum’s lowest public floor, the artifact is part of the comprehensive “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition that examines the slave trade, transportation methods, conditions aboard ships, and displays items like shackles.

The display focuses on the Middle Passage, the treacherous Atlantic crossing where countless captives died. Paul Gardullo, assistant director of history at the museum, noted that while precise numbers don’t exist, millions of people died during these voyages.

This exhibition modification occurs during a period of heightened scrutiny over historical presentations at federal museums and public spaces. The Trump administration has emphasized presenting America favorably as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

An executive order signed by President Trump in March 2025, called “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” has placed several Smithsonian museums under review, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Deputy Director Michelle Commander told the AP that the exhibition change stems entirely from the loan agreement, though she acknowledges the timing may prompt questions.

“That’s why we’re being transparent in this moment, because we are aware that there are those kinds of questions,” Commander stated. “But, as we’ve said, this is really about the conservation needs of that item.”

Gardullo explained that South Africa maintains strict cultural patrimony laws governing how artifacts and historical materials are handled and the duration of international loans.

“The wooden materials are more fragile, and they need a little more close care,” he noted.

Recent museum visitors, unaware of the upcoming change, described the powerful impact of seeing the slave ship timber. Visitors often wait in lines to enter the darkened Middle Passage gallery, where the solemn atmosphere encourages reflection on the historical tragedy.

Krystina Hernandez, who was accompanying her 7-year-old son’s school group, said the physical artifacts make the history tangible rather than just academic.

Anehtra Reynolds from northern Virginia became emotional while viewing the exhibit. She said the presentation, including the artifacts and the gallery’s darkness, provided her with “a piece of what they felt in terms of their misery.”

“I think there was a sign in there that mentioned there were some slaves who starved themselves to death in hopes that they would, when they died, they would be returned to their land,” Reynolds observed.

Jim Carnes, visiting from Birmingham, Alabama, where he works in civil rights education, called the artifacts “extraordinarily powerful.” He expressed feeling both sadness and anger, not only about the enslaved people’s conditions but also about current federal efforts to “deny this ever happened.”

Jorge Carvajal, originally from Colombia but now living in south Florida, said the exhibit helps counter stereotypes, particularly the notion that Black people are unreasonably angry.

“Empathy is what I’m trying to say. This will help people empathize a lot more. I mean, at least you would hope,” he explained.

Commander assured that museum staff will work to maintain the exhibit’s emotional impact using the remaining artifacts and displays.

“The story does not leave the museum because this timber is going to be returned to its owners,” she emphasized.