Indiana University is repatriating 27 sacred objects to the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, part of the ongoing work of IU’s Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) office.
According to a notice in the Federal Register, the 27 items are ceremonial objects used by religious leaders, including whistles, necklaces and dance accessories. NAGPRA, an act passed by Congress in 1990, requires agencies and public institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American remains and cultural items to their respective tribes through a federally assisted process.
IU’s NAGPRA director, Jayne-Leigh Thomas, said the repatriation effort with the Pawnee Nation has been several years in the making, including multiple meetings with tribe members, legal paperwork with the national NAGPRA office and logistical planning for the physical return of the objects.
“We’ve been working with the Pawnee Nation for a few years now, so we’re very thrilled that these objects are now going to be going back,” Thomas said.
The repatriation to the Pawnee Nation comes less than a month after the grand reopening of IU’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, during which IU emphasized their ongoing work with NAGPRA and efforts toward building better relationships with Native communities.
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