The U.S. Department of the Interior wants to revise how it repatriates tribal cultural objects and human remains. Thousands of items taken from tribal and federal lands have been housed in museums for decades.
The changes would streamline how institutions identify remains and funerary and cultural objects in their collections through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Officials say the proposal will increase tribal authority in how the items are returned and prevent further disturbance of objects found on tribal or federal lands.
“Repatriation is a sacred responsibility for many Indigenous communities," says National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. "After consulting with Tribal Nations across the United States, the National Park Service welcomes additional input on improvements to the NAGPRA regulations. We hope these changes will make it easier for proper repatriation and reburial of Indigenous ancestors and cultural items.”
The National Park Service consulted with more than 70 tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations in drafting the proposal. Officials hope it’ll expedite reburial of Indigenous ancestors and help end a painful saga for many tribes.
The 1990 Repatriation Act requires museums and federal agencies to identify Native American human remains and objects of cultural patrimony in their collections and work with tribes to return them.
At the time of the law’s passage, the Smithsonian Institution had about 34,000 human remains in its collection. According to a 2020 report, it’s repatriated more than 6,000 along with a quarter-million funerary objects and 1,400 sacred items to tribes.
