Recent reports highlight a significant issue where universities and museums across the United States are holding onto the remains of approximately 58,000 Native Americans, in violation of a 34-year-old federal law, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which mandates their return to respective tribes. This situation has prompted U.S. Senator Brian Schatz to take a public stance, shaming these institutions for not complying with the law. Schatz emphasizes the importance of returning these human remains and sacred items to Native communities, arguing that their retention by museums and research institutions is a form of ongoing national scandal and represents the worst kind of colonialism.
ICYMI: Sen. Brian Schatz has been trying to publicly shame dozens of universities and museums into returning tens of thousands of Native American human remains, many taken from graves. "The worst kind of colonialism," he fumed. But, it's complicated. https://t.co/6pq7xq2uGT
Native ancestral remains and sacred items deserve to be in the hands of Native communities—not hoarded by museums.  I sat down with @HuffPost to talk about how our work in @IndianCommittee is helping to return them to their rightful homes. https://t.co/4iKALRAFhk
A U.S. Senator Is Shaming Universities Into Returning Native American Human Remains https://t.co/3AwGiaU4YM
Major research institutions are ignoring a law and keeping items of cultural patrimony and stolen human remains. This is an ongoing national scandal. https://t.co/Ji4ZN4c0RY
NEW: Universities and museums are still holding onto the remains of ~58,000 Native people, despite a 34yo federal law demanding their return to tribes. A closer look at NAGPRA, how so many have flouted it + the U.S. senator publicly shaming them to act. https://t.co/6pq7xq2uGT
In @highcountrynews How states make money off tribal lands. https://t.co/ArOCkVGAmY cc: @AISES @NativePublicMed https://t.co/8WrxJRNpfJ
Spare us your land acknowledgements and progressive pronouncements when you continue to hold onto items stolen from the graves of native Americans. Give the items back. It’s the law. https://t.co/xjZLoeTuJ7