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Racial Justice

The Repatriation Project

The Delayed Return of Native Remains

America’s institutions maintain control of more than a hundred thousand remains of Native Americans as well as sacred items. A federal law, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, was meant to help return them, but decades after its 1990 passage, many tribes are still waiting.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Repatriation Project

UC Berkeley Takes Significant Step to Repatriate 4,400 Native American Human Remains

It would be the largest repatriation by far at an institution that holds more than 9,000 ancestral remains and has lagged behind in returning its holdings under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

The Repatriation Project

A New Illinois Law Shifts Repatriation and Reburial Power to Tribal Nations

For the first time, tribal nations forcibly removed from Illinois will have final say in how and when the remains of their ancestors will be returned to them.

The Repatriation Project

The Met Will “More Thoroughly” Investigate Artwork Origins With Hire of Provenance Researchers

The museum announced this week that it will hire additional experts to look more deeply into the histories of works in its collections. The plans follow news reports and criminal investigations on the origins of some items.

The Repatriation Project

Senate Committee Probes Top Universities, Museums Over Failures to Repatriate Human Remains

U.S. senators want five institutions to explain why they continue to hold thousands of Native American remains and belongings, following reporting from ProPublica and NBC News. “It’s immoral, it’s hypocritical, and it has to stop,” one senator said.

The Repatriation Project

Sweeping Repatriation Reform Bill Unanimously Passes Illinois House of Representatives

If signed into law, the legislation would create a protected cemetery for the reburial of repatriated Native American ancestors and establish a committee of tribal leaders to review state projects that may disturb culturally significant sites.

The Repatriation Project

Dozens of Museums and Universities Pledge to Return Native American Remains. Few Have Funded the Effort.

Reporting from local newsrooms, based on ProPublica’s “Repatriation Project,” has sparked a wave of apologies and commitment to returning ancestral remains.