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- By Native News Online Staff
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a grant allocation of $3.4 million to benefit 16 American Indian Tribes and 28 museums. These grants are designed to provide support for activities related to consultation, documentation, and the repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural artifacts, all in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This funding represents the most substantial appropriation for NAGPRA grants since the Act's enactment in 1990 and the inception of the funding program in 1994.
Chuck Sams (Umatilla), the Director of the National Park Service, emphasized the agency's unwavering commitment to facilitating Tribal consultations, documentation, and repatriation efforts.
"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 outlines a structured framework for returning human remains, funerary objects, sacred items, and objects of cultural significance to Native American and Alaska Native Tribes, as well as Native Hawaiian organizations.
Among the grants, a total of 21 awards have been bestowed upon seven Indian Tribes and seven museums. These funds will support the transportation and repatriation of human remains, which include a significant number—11,354 ancestors—along with more than 10,400 funerary objects and 39 cultural items.
The University of Colorado Museum and the University of Northern Colorado have collaborated to facilitate a reburial ceremony for 123 ancestors located in southwestern Colorado. This joint effort will be aided by grant funds that cover travel expenses for both museum and Tribal representatives participating in the ceremony. Additionally, the funds will be allocated for labor and materials required for the reburial process. This collaborative project not only reduces the overall costs associated with the reburial but also reunites long-separated ancestors and restores their shared journey. For more comprehensive information about these repatriations, refer to the relevant Federal Register notices for the University of Colorado Museum and the University of Northern Colorado.
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