- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The National Park Service (NPS) has allocated $3 million in grants to support the consultation, documentation, and repatriation of Native American ancestral remains and cultural items. These grants, awarded to 13 Tribes and 21 museums, are part of the ongoing efforts under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).
Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA mandates that museums and federal agencies inventory and identify Native American human remains and cultural objects in their collections. The law also requires consultation with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations to ensure the respectful return of these items. The NPS, which is responsible for administering NAGPRA, facilitates the awarding of these grants.
Chuck Sams, Director of the NPS, emphasized the significance of these efforts: “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. These grants help ensure Native American cultural heritage isn’t kept in storage, cast aside, or forgotten.”
The NPS awarded five Repatriation Grants to two Tribes and three museums to fund the return of human remains and cultural items. These grants will facilitate the transportation and reburial of 137 ancestors, 12 funerary objects, and 54 cultural items. The Chickasaw Nation is one of the grant recipients and will use the funds to support its reburial team in repatriating 130 ancestors from the Tennessee Valley Authority in Alabama. The team will travel from Ada, Oklahoma, to Moundville, Alabama, to complete this mission, with additional repatriations planned if feasible.
The recipients of the FY 2024 NAGPRA Repatriation Grants include:
- Galena Village (AK): $24,387
- Colorado Seminary (CO): $6,509
- Vassar College (NY): $10,010
- Hartwick College (NY): $15,810
- Chickasaw Nation (OK): $15,155
In addition to repatriation, the NPS awarded 34 grants to 11 Tribes and 19 museums for consultation and documentation projects. These grants will fund staff travel, consultation meetings, and research, all of which are critical to the repatriation process.
One notable grant recipient is the Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC) of Wisconsin. The FCPC will use the funding to seek the return of ancestral remains, funerary objects, and culturally significant items. The Tribe will collaborate with several museums, including the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Wisconsin Historical Society, to begin cataloging these items for potential repatriation.
The FY 2024 NAGPRA Consultation/Documentation Grant recipients include:
- Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (AK): $98,729
- Kenaitze Indian Tribe (AK): $99,619
- University of South Alabama (AL): $97,545
- Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation (CA): $87,867
- University of Wisconsin System (WI): $196,774 (two grants)
The total funding for consultation and documentation projects is $2,969,249.
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsMacArthur Foundation Launches Native Self-Determination Program, Pledges Expanded Support
In Runoff Triumph, David Sickey Elected Chairman of Coushatta Tribe
San Carlos Tribe Celebrates Temporary Victory in Federal Court to Save Oak Flat
LAND BACK: 47,097 Acres Returned to Yurok Tribe
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
