WASHINGTON – The National Park Service announced today that they will award $3 million in grants to 13 Tribes and 21 museums, according to an NPS release. The funds will assist in the consultation, documentation, and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural items. The award is part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
NAGPRA was enacted in 1990 and requires museums and federal agencies to inventory and identify Native American human remains and cultural items in their collections. If found, they are required to consult with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations. The grant money will help facilitate the respectful return of ancestors and objects to descendant communities. The work is administered by the National Park Service.
“The National Park Service is committed to supporting these important efforts to reconnect and return the remains of Tribal ancestors and other cultural resources to the communities they belong to,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “These grants help ensure Native American cultural heritage isn’t kept in storage, cast aside, or forgotten.”
Five Repatriation Grants and 34 other grants have been awarded to the museums and Indian tribes. The Repatriation Grants will fund the transportation and return of human remains of 137 ancestors, 12 funerary objects and 54 cultural items.
The Chickasaw Nation was awarded one of these grants and will use the funding to support its reburial team. Upon retrieval of the ancestors, the reburial team will transport them for reinterment.
Repatriation Grants will continue to be awarded on an ongoing basis until May 9, 2025 or until funds are expended.
Other grants will fund consultation and documentation projects such as staff travel, consultation meetings, and research to support the repatriation process.
To learn more about these grants and who they’ve been awarded to, visit the NPS official release.
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