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Federal agencies as of September had carried out only about a third of GAO’s recommendations, some of them dating to 2018, on protecting and returning Native American cultural items, GAO has said.
A blog posting follows up on testimony at a hearing earlier this year in which it said agencies still are holding items ranging from funerary objects to human remains that the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act called for returning to tribal organizations unless the agency can prove that it has a right of possession.
“Tribes consider such items priceless objects based on their importance to tribal heritage and identity, and, in many cases, their role in religious or healing practices,” it said. However, it is estimated that more than 100,000 such items remain in museums and other collections, including some maintained by federal agencies.
“Tribal officials told us that consultation with the federal interagency working group established to help tribes protect cultural resources could be improved. Tribal members also cited challenges related to the scope of NAGPRA and limits on its ability to assist tribes in repatriating items from overseas auctions,” GAO said.
Further, such items “continue to be stolen” despite federal laws against their theft from federal or Native American lands, and agencies do not “always have the information they needed to prevent, investigate, and prosecute” thefts, it said.
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