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Under new federal rules, museums must gain consent of Native American tribes before displaying their cultural items. While some museums rushed to comply, others, such as the Museum of Us and History Colorado, were prepared to meet the moment.
In a Senate floor speech that centered America’s colonial history, Brian Schatz said institutions have a moral obligation to comply with federal repatriation law. He demanded urgent action.
The change is in response to new federal regulations that went into effect this month following reporting by ProPublica on institutional failures to return Native American remains and sacred objects to tribes.
Following decades of Indigenous activism and the 2023 publication of ProPublica’s “Repatriation Project,” federal officials have seen more activity leading to the return of ancestral remains to tribal nations than any other year since 1990.
The new Interior Department regulations address long-criticized loopholes and issues, and will go into effect in 2024.