Federal Manager's Daily Report

Woven grass baskets on display in the Heard Museum, Phoenix. Image: EWY Media/Shutterstock.com

GAO has said that federal agencies still are holding some Native American cultural items—ranging from funerary objects and other cultural objects to human remains—that a 1990 law called for returning to tribes and tribal organizations unless the agency can prove that it has a right of possession.

“Such cultural items were added to collections through archeological excavations intended to advance scientific knowledge and preserve cultural items or through discoveries during federal construction projects. The items also have a long history of being stolen from federal and tribal lands and being added to private or institutional collections,” it said.

GAO said that agencies have made progress in carrying out the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act—which applies to museums as well as federal agencies—by “repatriating” more than nine-tenths of the human remains they had held but that more than 100,000 still are in collections.

It said remaining issues involve consulting with tribes and tribal organizations, better protecting the items, and the limited scope of the law and enforcement.

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