National Park Service to Offer Grant Funding for Repatriation

The National Park Service (NPS) recently declared a $3.4 million grant that will assist 16 American Indian Tribes and 28 museums. These funds are set to enhance activities centered on consultation, documentation, and the return of ancestral remains and cultural treasures, consistent with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Since the Act’s passage in 1990 and the launch of the funding program in 1994, this financial commitment stands as the most substantial for NAGPRA grants.

Chuck Sams (Umatilla), who is at the helm of the National Park Service, underlined the organization’s consistent dedication to advancing Tribal consultations, documentation, and repatriation endeavors.

“By granting funds through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, we are ensuring that Tribes can continue to honor and care for their ancestors, a practice they have upheld since time immemorial,” Sams said.

NAGPRA provides a clear roadmap for the repatriation of human remains, sacred possessions, items of spiritual importance, and artifacts that hold cultural relevance to Native American and Alaska Native Tribes and Native Hawaiian entities.

Of the total grants, 21 awards have been granted to seven Indian Tribes and seven museums. These resources will aid in transferring and returning human remains, comprising an impressive 11,354 ancestors, accompanied by over 10,400 funerary objects and 39 cultural artifacts.

The University of Colorado Museum and the University of Northern Colorado have come together to organize a reburial event for 123 ancestors in southwestern Colorado. This combined initiative will benefit from grant money covering transportation costs for representatives from museums and Tribes attending the event. Additionally, these funds will be used for manpower and supplies essential for the reburial. This team effort cuts down on the total expenditure linked with the reburial and brings together ancestors who have been apart for long periods, renewing their collective journey.

NAGPRA mandates that federal entities and institutions benefiting from federal funding—such as museums, universities, state bodies, and local authorities—return or relocate Native American human remains and related cultural artifacts to their rightful owners. These agencies and institutions are obligated to engage with direct descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian groups, assess requests related to the return or reallocation of cultural pieces, and provide public announcements before initiating repatriation or transfers.