Skip to main content

Indian Issues: Key Federal Agencies' and the Smithsonian Institution's Efforts to Identify and Repatriate Indian Human Remains and Objects

GAO-11-755T Published: Jun 16, 2011. Publicly Released: Jun 16, 2011.
Jump To:
Skip to Highlights

Highlights

The National Museum of the American Indian Act of 1989 (NMAI Act), as amended in 1996, generally requires the Smithsonian Institution to inventory and identify the origins of its Indian and Native Hawaiian human remains and objects placed with them (funerary objects) and repatriate them to culturally affiliated Indian tribes upon request. According to the Smithsonian, two of its museums--the American Indian and the Natural History Museums--have items that are subject to the NMAI Act. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), enacted in 1990, includes similar requirements for federal agencies and museums. The National NAGPRA office, within the Department of the Interior's National Park Service, facilitates the governmentwide implementation of NAGPRA. Each act requires the establishment of a committee to monitor and review repatriation activities. GAO's testimony is based on its July 2010 report on NAGPRA implementation (GAO-10-768) and its May 2011 report on Smithsonian repatriation (GAO-11-515). The testimony focuses on the extent to which key federal agencies have complied with NAGPRA's requirements and the extent to which the Smithsonian has fulfilled its repatriation requirements.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

Congressional committee reportsCongressional committeesFederal agenciesIndian affairs legislationIndian landsInventoriesInventory controlMuseumsNational parksNative American claimsNative American rightsNative AmericansPublic landsReporting requirementsComplianceCultural awarenessLegislative interpretation