Over 30 tribes, museums, and universities across the U.S. will share $3 million in grants from the National Park Service to facilitate the repatriation of remains and cultural artifacts.

This funding is part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which supports the return of ancestral remains and cultural items, as well as consultation and documentation efforts.

NAGPRA, established in 1990, requires federally funded museums, educational institutions, and federal agencies to inventory and ascertain Native American human remains—including bones, skeletons, and cremated remains—and cultural objects in their possession, while also consulting with Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian groups.

Additionally, it empowers the Secretary of the Interior to grant funds that promote the respectful return of these ancestors and artifacts to their descendant communities, which are managed by the National Park Service.

Chuck Sams, director of the National Park Service, stated in a news release about the funding, “We are dedicated to supporting these vital efforts to Return the remains of Tribal ancestors and other cultural resources to their rightful communities. These grants will help preserve Native American cultural heritage from being buried away, ignored, or forgotten.”

Jenny Davis, who is an associate professor of anthropology and American Indian studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, emphasized that the funding is “crucially important” for repatriation initiatives.

Davis, who co-directs the school’s Center for Indigenous Science, noted that although the grant amounts may appear modest in light of the extensive work required, they play an essential role.

“For many smaller institutions, these grants can account for most, if not all, of the budgets for complying with NAGPRA,” she mentioned. “Without these funds, we would be significantly delayed in our progress.”

Funding supports adherence to new regulations

The significance of this funding has increased due to the new NAGPRA guidelines and deadlines established last year, according to Davis.

In December, the Biden administration revised the law to mandate that institutions hosting human remains and cultural items obtain consent from tribes. These updated regulations were enacted in January, prompting museums nationwide to hastily cover or take down exhibits as they tried to comply.

The revised law aims to expedite the often slow process of repatriation.

Two tribes along with three museums will receive grants meant to help with the return and transportation of remains belonging to 137 ancestors, alongside 12 funerary objects and 54 cultural artifacts.

For instance, the Chickasaw Nation’s reburial team will make a trip to Moundville, Alabama, for the completion of a project reclaiming 130 ancestors from the Tennessee Valley Authority for reburial.

Additionally, 11 tribes and 19 museums have received grants to support consultation and documentation projects tied to repatriation efforts. For example, the Forest County Potawatomi Community from Wisconsin, descendants of a tribe that historically occupied parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, will use the funds to organize and document human remains and related items for potential repatriation.

Other recipients of the grants include the Comanche Nation and Pawnee Nation from Oklahoma, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the University of South Carolina.