Members of the Chickasaw Nation's reburial team at a recent event
Credit: Chickasaw Nation

August 12, 2024 - WASHINGTON -- The National Park Service has announced $3 million in grants to 13 Tribes and 21 museums to assist in the consultation, documentation, and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural items as part of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA requires museums and federal agencies to inventory and identify Native American human remains and cultural items in their collections, and to consult with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations. NAGPRA authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants to facilitate respectful return of ancestors and objects to descendant communities. This 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.”

Grants to Fund Repatriation

Five Repatriation Grants have been awarded to two Tribes and three museums to fund the transportation and return of human remains of 137 ancestors, 12 funerary objects, and 54 cultural items. Repatriation Grant opportunities will remain available on an ongoing basis until May 9, 2025, unless the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is canceled, or all available funds are expended.

The Chickasaw Nation will use this grant funding to support its reburial team, composed of eight individuals, who will travel from Ada, Okla. to Moundville, Ala. to complete the repatriation of Chickasaw ancestors from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The reburial team will repatriate and retrieve 130 ancestors from the repository. Other nearby repatriations will be included in this travel, if possible. Upon retrieval of the ancestors, the reburial team will then transport them for reinterment.

FY 2024 NAGPRA Repatriation Grant Recipients  

Grants to Fund Consultation and Documentation

A total of 34 grants to 11 Tribes and 19 museums will fund consultation and documentation projects, such as staff travel, consultation meetings, and research to support the repatriation process.

Using grant funding, the Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC) will seek the return of ancestral remains, related funerary objects, and items of cultural significance, enhancing the Tribe's well-being and helping to heal historical trauma. The FCPC, of Wisconsin, are descendants of a significant Tribal cultural group that historically covered Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The primary objective is for the FCPC to begin cataloging human remains and associated funerary objects and cultural items for possible repatriation. Collaborating museums that hold ancestors and objects include the Detroit Institute of Arts, Wisconsin Historical Society, Milwaukee Public Museum, Beloit College, Mukwonago Historical Museum and Society, Illinois State Museum, Chicago Field Museum of Natural History, and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

FY 2024 NAGPRA Consultation/Documentation Grant Recipients  

The National NAGPRA Program assists agencies and museums with compliance, and administers federal grants available to museums, Tribes, and Native Hawaiian Organizations to assist in consultation, documentation, and repatriation under NAGPRA.
Source: NPS