National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

National NAGPRA Program

BLUE: 43 5 6 10

BROWN: 29 78 91 78 

15 YEARS OF NAGPRA GRANTS

 [ 1994–2008 ]

Journeys to

Repatriation
In November 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and 

Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was passed heralding a balance to 

the relationship between the Federal government, museums 

and the Native American community. No longer would Indian 

tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations be unable to resolve 

control of Native American human remains and cultural items 

located in Federal agency repositories and museum collections 

around the country. Instead, NAGPRA gave Indian tribes and 

Native Hawaiian organizations a process for seeking their 

return. In recognition of the repatriation process, Section 10 of 

the Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make grants 

to museums, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations 

for the purposes of assisting in consultation, documentation, 

and the repatriation of museum collections. 

The first grants were awarded in 1994. Over the past 15 

years more than $31 million supported the NAGPRA activities 

of 260 Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations and 

museums. Approximately $2 million are awarded annually to 

museums, tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations for 

consultation and documentation projects as well as to fund 

the journey home.

NAGPRA grants projects have evolved over time. The 

typical grant application in 1994 described a museum’s need to 

identify objects in its collection as it worked toward consultation 

with tribes. Grant requests were initially viewed as either 

museum or tribal grants. Today the typical grant application 

describes a consultation project that includes museums and 

tribes, making distinctions meaningless as they view 

collections, adding to knowledge held by all in the exchange. 

This report on the first 15 years of the NAGPRA grants 

program highlights the critical contribution grants have played 

in the development of a robust repatriation ethic shared by 

Federal agencies, museums, and tribes. It gives statistics 

and tells the stories of NAGPRA that are played out each day 

across the country. It provides a glimpse of the power of 

repatriation and the impact it has on a tribe or Native Hawaiian 

community when ancestors long removed from the ground 

are reburied, or a sacred item long believed to have been lost 

is reintroduced into ceremonial use. 

This report is a story of healing, revival and trust-building 

as tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations work with 

museums and Federal agencies on mutual understanding 

and respect for Native communities, values, traditions and 

ancestors. It is my pleasure to be a part of these repatriation 

journeys by awarding NAGPRA grants to tribes, Native 

Hawaiian organizations and museums on behalf of the 

Secretary of the Interior.

Thomas L. Strickland

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks

Washington, DC

August 2009

BLUE: 43 5 6 10

BROWN: 29 78 91 78 

Report compiled by Sangita Chari, Grants and Outreach Coordinator and 

Lauren A. Trice, 2009 National Council for Preservation Education Intern, B.A. 

Historic Preservation, University of Mary Washington. With special thanks to 

Brian D. Joyner, Editor, National Register/National Historic Landmark Programs.

Read it online at www.nps.gov/nagpra/GRANTS/INDEX.HTM

“REPATRIATION IS OFTENTIMES A 

LONG AND DIFFICULT JOURNEY, THE 

NAGPRA GRANTS PROGRAM

PROVIDES THE RESOURCES TO ALLOW 

TRIBES, MUSEUMS AND OTHER 

INSTITUTIONS TO WALK THAT 

JOURNEY TOGETHER. THE 

POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE 

FOSTERED OUT OF CONSULTATION 

ALLOW TRIBES TO BRING CLOSURE

TO MANY OF THE LEGACY ISSUES 

THAT REMAIN AS WELL AS LOOK 

TOWARD THE FUTURE, TO A 

DAY WHEN ALL HUMAN REMAINS ARE 

TREATED WITH THE RESPECT

THAT THEY SO JUSTLY DESERVE.”

— THERESA PASQUAL, 

PUEBLO OF ACOMA, NEW MEXICO
In light of the important role that death and burial rites play in 

Native American cultures, it is all the more offensive that the 

civil rights of America’s first citizens have been so flagrantly 

violated for the past century. Mr. President, the bill before us 

today is not about the validity of museums or the value of 

scientific inquiry. Rather, it is about human rights. — Senator 

Daniel Inouye, Hawaii, October 26, 1990

Gordon Real Bird Jr. (seated) and Jack Real Bird, Crow Tribe 

of Montana, photographing and taking notes on Crow saddles 

in the Field Museum's collections. (FY2003 Consultation/

Documentation Grant)

Grants are Part of 

the Journey

T

HE NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND 

REPATRIATION ACT (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 3001, acknowledges 

tribal sovereignty and the right of Native Americans to 

human remains and important cultural objects affiliated with their 

tribe or community. Hailed as a significant landmark in human 

rights and Indian law, NAGPRA provides museums1

 and Federal 

agencies with a mechanism for resolution of claims and repatriation. 

Museums and Federal agencies are required to conduct a thorough 

assessment of their Native American collections. Cultural objects 

that may be sacred, objects of cultural patrimony, or unassociated 

funerary objects are listed in summaries and sent to potentially 

interested Indian tribes2

 and Native Hawaiian organizations 

(NHOs) to begin consultation. Interested Indian tribes or NHOs 

can then consult with the museum on objects of interest and make a 

claim for repatriation. Human remains and associated funerary 

objects are subject to an inventory process. Museums are required 

to contact Indian tribes or NHOs that may be affiliated with their 

collection and consult together to determine cultural affiliation. 

Culturally affiliated human remains and agreements to repatriate 

cultural items are published in the Federal Register and are then 

available to be repatriated to the appropriate Indian tribe or NHO. 

NAGPRA is a process that requires a great deal of resources from 

museums, Indian tribes and NHOs. NAGPRA Grants assist in the 

costs of consultation and documentation as well as the costs of 

repatriation of human remains and cultural items in collections.3 %

1

 “museum” means any institution or State or local government agency 

(including any institution of higher learning) that receives Federal funds and 

has possession of, or control over, Native American cultural items.

2

 “Indian tribe” means any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or 

community of Indians, including any Alaska Native village or corporation, which 

is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the 

United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.

3

 NAGPRA grants do not cover costs of initial compliance in a summary or 

inventory, nor do they pertain to new discoveries on Federal or tribal lands after 

November 16, 1990. 
4 Some grant recipients received multiple 

grants over time.

5 In FY2008, the NAGPRA Review Committee 

recommended an increase in Consultation/

Documentation grant award amounts from 

$75,000 to $90,000 due to a rise in project 

costs. This was implemented in FY2009.

OCTOBER

Grant applications become available

Notice establishing claim to human 

remains or cultural items is 

published in the Federal Register

MARCH

Grant applications due

Staff grants provisional approval, 

grantee begins preparing for 

repatriation

MAY

Grant Review Panel meets

30 days pass since publication 

of Notice, and then transfer 

of control occurs

JULY

Grants awarded

Grant is approved, funds are 

obligated

AUGUST

18-month grant projects begin

DECEMBER

Optional staff pre-review of grant 

applications

Tribe, NHO or museum applies 

for a Repatriation Grant

Repatriation Grants are 

non-competitive grants awarded to Indian 

tribes, NHOs and museums on a rolling 

basis. Grants, up to $15,000, cover costs 

associated with the repatriation of 

NAGPRA items, including: packaging and 

transportation of human remains or 

cultural objects, travel for Elders and 

tribal staff to the museum to conduct 

ceremonial activities or to coordinate 

packaging of the repatriated items, and 

staff time to coordinate repatriation 

activities. In addition, funding can be 

used for contamination issues such as 

the removal of contaminants or training 

for tribal or NHO staff on handling 

contaminated items. 

Consultation/Documentation 

Grants are competitive grants awarded 

annually to museums, tribes and NHOs to 

consult and document NAGPRA-related 

human remains and cultural items. Grant 

amounts range from $5,000 to $75,0005 and 

support 18-month projects. Indian tribes and 

NHOs typically use grant funds for capacity 

building, training, data collection, database 

development, consultants and coalition-building 

activities as well as for consultations, including 

travel, per diem, stipends for Elders, and 

equipment such as cameras, scanners and 

digital recorders. Museums typically request 

funding to place their collections online, conduct 

further research on their collections, test for 

contaminants, and coordinate consultations 

with Indian tribes and NHOs. A single project may 

involve multiple Indian tribes, NHOs or museums. 

The 

NAGPRA 

Grant 

Process 

THE NATIONAL NAGPRA 

GRANTS PROGRAM 

ANNUALLY AWARDS 

APPROXIMATELY 

$2 MILLION IN GRANTS 

TO MUSEUMS, INDIAN TRIBES, 

AND NHOS TO SUPPORT 

THE REPATRIATION OF 

NATIVE AMERICAN HUMAN 

REMAINS OR CULTURAL 

ITEMS. CONSULTATION/

DOCUMENTATION GRANTS 

MAKE UP APPROXIMATELY 

97% OF ANNUAL GRANTS 

WITH THE REMAINING 3% 

SUPPORTING REPATRIATION 

GRANTS. BETWEEN 1994 

AND 2008, OVER $31 

MILLION DOLLARS

WERE AWARDED TO 260 

INDIAN TRIBES, NHOS AND 

MUSEUMS TO SUPPORT 

NAGPRA ACTIVITIES.4

The goal of the NAGPRA Grants program is to increase the number of successful 

repatriations through support for projects that increase the ability of tribes and 

museums and Federal agencies to facilitate consultations and work together 

through the NAGPRA process.
S

ince the inception of the NAGPRA Grants 

program, 260 Indian tribes, NHOs and 

museums in 42 states across the country have 

received grants to support their efforts. While the size 

and scope of each grant varies, the resources provided 

by the NAGPRA Grants program have been critical 

to many projects’ success. The realities of conducting 

repatriation programs can produce challenges. 

Museums are often confronted with incomplete or 

inconsistent collections records, insufficient staff and 

equipment to handle requests for consultations, and 

inadequate resources to test for contaminants and 

stabilize collections. Indian tribes and NHOs face 

significant challenges to adequately support a NAGPRA 

program. Responding to summaries and requests to 

consult with museums that are often many miles away, 

working with Elders and community experts to 

develop documentation required for consultations, 

creating collections databases and repatriation policies 

for their tribe/NHO, and coordinating locations to 

both re-bury or house human remains and cultural 

items, has proven to be both costly and time-consuming. 

And yet, as consultations are completed and 

repatriations occur, the effects of NAGPRA can be 

seen throughout the country, in museums, Indian 

tribes and Native Hawaiian communities. Human 

remains and cultural items long believed to have been 

lost are returned and offer priceless opportunities for 

healing, education and community-building. New 

partnerships are formed offering opportunities for 

information-sharing and engagement. NAGPRA grants 

are integral to this important community effort. %

Grants Support 

Communities

$ Requested $ Awarded

0 

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 

Fiscal Year 

Dollar Amount in Millions

Awarded

Total

Received

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Museum Tribe/NHO 

Number of Applications 

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2009:

AMOUNT REQUESTED VS. AMOUNT AWARDED

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2008:

NUMBER OF AWARDED APPLICATIONS 

VS. TOTAL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2008:

OVERALL STATISTICS

Total Amount Awarded in Grants $ 31,163,319

Average Consultation Grant $ 61,516

Average Repatriation Grant $ 9,894

Total Number of Grants Awarded 592

Total Amount Awarded for 

Consultation/Documentation Grants $30,142,926

Total Amount Awarded for 

Repatriation Grants $ 1,020,393

(490 for Consultation/Documentation, 102 for Repatriation)
I

n recognition of the high costs associated with the 

repatriation process, Congress authorized the NAGPRA 

grants program to support Indian tribes, NHOs and 

museums in their NAGPRA efforts. Over the past 15 years, 

NAGPRA grants have played a vital and ever-changing role in 

repatriation efforts. Initially, grant applications primarily 

requested support for compliance-related activities. Museums, 

Indian tribes and NHOs focused on developing internal 

systems and processes to manage NAGPRA activities. Over 

time, museums, Indian tribes and NHOs have moved beyond 

initial compliance to consultations and eventually repatriation 

activities. Today, many grants focus on creating more 

meaningful consultation relationships that can involve 

multiple museums, Indian tribes and NHOs, and often result 

in Notices of Inventory Completion for human remains in 

collections and Notices of Intent to Repatriate for cultural 

items claimed for repatriation. This is critical to NAGPRA, as 

notices establish the rights of Indian tribes and NHOs to gain 

control of ancestors and important objects. Other topics 

NAGPRA grants address include handling contaminated 

collections, repatriating culturally unidentifiable human remains 

or developing web-based technology as a tool for consultation. 

As the number, size and intricacy of repatriations increase, 

it is expected that the grants program will receive a greater 

number of grant requests in both categories. %

It is estimated that the Burke has dedicated in excess of 

$1 million of its own funding in compliance of NAGPRA. The 

Documentation Grants have provided a critical supplement 

to these funds. These funds enabled the Burke to dedicate 

more staff time to NAGPRA, hire graduate student assistants, 

and most importantly, provide travel funds to allow for inperson consultation meetings. These in-depth consultations 

have significantly strengthened our relationships with tribes 

and have led to lasting relationships that will continue to go 

beyond NAGPRA efforts.” — Megon Noble, NAGPRA Coordinator, 

Burke Museum, University of Washington, Washington

Grants Tell the Story of NAGPRA

Burke Museum and Central Washington 

University joint inter-tribal repatriation of 

human remains and funerary objects from the 

Columbia Plateau to the Confederated Tribes 

of the Colville Reservation, WA, Nez Perce 

Tribe, ID, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 

Reservation, OR, Confederated Tribes of the 

Warm Springs Reservation, OR, Confederated 

Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, WA 

and the Wanapum Band, WA. (FY2007 

Repatriation Grant)

“The Burke Museum has been awarded four Consultation/

Documentation Grants between 1994 and 2003. It has 

become apparent that there is a direct correlation between 

Consultation/Documentation Grant funding and the museum’s 

ability to conduct meaningful consultations, publish Notices 

of Inventory Completion and Notices of Intent to Repatriate, 

and ultimately repatriate human remains and cultural items. 

During the most recent grant period (2003–2005) and the 

two years following, the Burke published 25 notices, thereby 

repatriating 226 individuals and over 20,000 cultural items.
The Journey 

Strengthens 

Relationships

I

n 2006, the Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) 

received a Consultation/Documentation Grant to 

expand their consultations with the Hopi Tribe, Navajo 

Nation, Zuni Tribe, and the Western Apache tribes. Together 

with the tribes, the MNA developed a plan to implement 

culturally-appropriate care, handling, and housing guidelines, and created written policies and procedures for 

accessing sensitive tribal collections. In addition, they created 

the Native American Advisory Committee to work with the 

museum on NAGPRA issues. The Committee continued to 

work with the MNA on issues beyond the initial scope of 

the grant. Most notably, the Committee advised the MNA 

on the design of the new Easton Collection Center. The 

building’s design elements embrace the worldviews of the 

region’s Native people including an east-facing entrance to 

greet the sun every morning, a circular shape to invoke the 

cycles of life, connections to the natural world with its living 

roof and views of the sacred San Francisco Peaks from both 

inside the building and out. %

The Easton Collection Center, Museum of 

Northern Arizona.

Representatives from the Hopi, Navajo, Apache 

and Zuni tribes viewing and consulting on 

collections at the MNA. (FY2006 Consulation/

Documentation Grant)

“For me, the biggest result that 

we experienced as a result of 

our NAGPRA project was that 

we strengthened our ties to the 

Hopi and Navajo and created 

new connections to the Apache 

and Zuni Tribes.” — Elaine 

Hughes, Museum of Northern 

Arizona, Arizona

“It is of vital importance that sacred objects and 

objects of cultural patrimony of all indigenous 

tribes throughout the Colorado Plateau be housed 

and protected from all natural elements as agreed 

by all participating tribes. And no better place to 

house these important objects than the Easton 

Collection Center, within the confines of the 

Museum of Northern Arizona.” — Tony Joe, 2009, 

Navajo Nation, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah

Museum

$9,774,830

$21,388,489

Tribe/NHO

Awarded

Not

Awarded

Consultation Grants Repatriation Grants

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Museum Tribe/NHO 

Number of Applications 

0 

10 

20 

30 

40 

50 

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 

2006 2007 2008 

Number of Awarded Applications

Fiscal Year 

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2008:

DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS—

CONSULTATION/DOCUMENTATION 

GRANTS & REPATRIATION GRANTS
Representatives from the Colorado Historical Society 

and the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs. 

(FY2005 Consultation/Documentation Grant)

Museum

$9,774,830

$21,388,489

Tribe/NHO

Awarded

Not

Awarded

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Museum Tribe/NHO 

Number of Applications 

Museum

$9,774,830

$21,388,489

Tribe/NHO

Awarded

Not

Awarded

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Museum Tribe/NHO 

Number of Applications 

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2008:

TOTAL AMOUNT AWARDED

NAGPRA GRANTS 1994–2008:

NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS AWARDED VS.

NOT AWARDED

T

he NAGPRA grants program has benefitted Indian 

tribes, NHOs and museums. Two-thirds of the 

applications received come from Indian tribes and 

NHOs, however, there is an even distribution in the 

proportion of grants awarded to museums and Indian 

tribes and NHOs. Although grants are awarded to a specific 

Indian tribe, NHO or museum, their impact often extends 

well beyond the grantee. Financial resources may be 

shared as museums will often include stipends or travel 

costs for participating tribes or NHOs. Likewise, tribal 

representatives and NHO representatives have served as 

resources to museums offering their knowledge about 

items in their collections and assisting with collections care 

and management. The grants program has also witnessed 

an increase in the number of grants supporting NAGPRA 

coalitions as communities come together to share information 

and resources, develop systems and policies for handling 

repatriations, and address issues of mutual concern. %

“The Colorado Historical Society, a state agency, began 

its NAGPRA program in 1993. Over time, we partnered 

with area agencies, museums and tribes to implement 

the law. To address the complex interplay between 

NAGPRA and state law, we relied on our partnership 

with the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, the 

Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, 

and 45 additional tribes with ancestral ties to the 

state to develop a process that would facilitate tribal 

consultation and provide disposition for culturally 

unidentifiable Native American human remains and 

associated funerary objects found on those lands. 

Along the way, we forged deeply meaningful community 

relationships that enhanced our exhibits, provided 

outreach opportunities and fortified our educational 

programming. The end result is a trust relationship 

built upon transparency and hard work for all the 

parties, and a solution that addresses tribes’ initial 

concerns to identify a final resting place for some 

of Colorado's earliest inhabitants.” — Bridget Ambler, 

Colorado Historical Society. (FY2005 Consultation/

Documentation Grant)

Grants Benefit 

Museums, Indian 

Tribes and NHOs
I

n 2005 and 2007, the Rochester Museum & Science Center 

received Consultation/Documentation grants to document 

over 7,000 Iroquoian (Haudenasaunee) ethnographic 

objects in their collections in order to facilitate consultations 

with Indian tribes. Haudenasaunee consultants were supported 

through the grant and offered valuable assistance with the 

collections including the development of comprehensive 

summaries that were used as a basis for consultation. In addition, 

Jamie Jacobs, a member of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas, was 

hired as an intern to work with the Haudenasaunee consultants 

on documenting and overseeing the care of the cultural items. 

Over the two grant periods, numerous items were documented 

and when appropriate, tested for contaminants. Five Indian tribes 

participated and over 50 people were trained on collections 

management issues. %

Walking the Journey

Together

Jamie Jacobs using 

the XRF machine to test 

for contaminants at the 

Rochester Museum 

& Science Center, 

New York. 

(FY2007 Consultation/

Documentation Grant)

“THROUGH THE COLLABORATION

OF THE ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE 

CENTER AND THE TONAWANDA NATIVE 

COMMUNITY, I BELIEVE THAT THE 

NAGPRA GRANTS OF 2005 AND 2007 

HELPED BRING UNDERSTANDING

TO BOTH PARTIES. THE UNDERSTANDING 

OF IROQUOIS CULTURE AND CUSTOMS 

REGARDING THE RESPECT AND CARE 

OF SACRED AND CEREMONIAL 

ITEMS WAS SHARED ALONG WITH 

PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL INPUT FROM 

THE COMMUNITY IN WHICH THE 

“MUSEUM RELICS” WERE BORN AND ARE 

STILL LIVING TO THE PRESENT DAY.” 

— JAMIE JACOBS, TONAWANDA BAND OF 

SENECA INDIANS OF NEW YORK

“The project was designed so the museum could know what 

it needed to repatriate. We can no longer be on opposing 

sides. We are never going to keep material that the native 

community says that we shouldn’t be keeping.” 

— Bart A. Roselli, Rochester Museum & Science Center, 

American Indian Tribes Forum, October 31, 2007
“The repatriation of the beaver prow figure 

was a historical find. This one object brought 

significance to who we are as a people of Admiralty 

Island. Without NAGPRA this never would have 

happened. What a joy it was to see the culture 

of the community come to life!” — Leonard John, 

Kootznoowoo Cultural and Education Foundation, AK. 

(FY1999 Consultation/Documentation Grant)

Members of Kootznoowoo Inc., Alaska during a consultation at the 

American Museum of Natural History, New York. (FY1999 Consultation/ 

Documentation Grant)

Over the past 15 years, the NAGPRA Grants 

program has supported efforts of museums, 

Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian 

organizations in 42 states to implement the provisions 

of NAGPRA. Grantees reflect the diversity of the 

country, ranging from small historical museums to 

those with substantial Native American collections, as 

well as Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian communities. 

Behind every grant is a story of healing, revival, 

trust-building and new opportunities for Indian tribes 

and Native Hawaiian organizations to work with 

museums and Federal agencies to forge a relationship 

based on mutual understanding and respect for Native 

American and Native Hawaiian communities, values, 

traditions and ancestors. %

Grants Create 

Opportunities
NAGPRA Grants 1994–2008

Amount Awarded by State BLUE: 43 5 6 10

BROWN: 29 78 91 78 

up to $5 million

up to $4.5 million

up to $2.5 million

up to $2 million

up to $1.5 million

up to $1 million

up to $500 thousand

none to date
“I think bringing back all this (regalia) is 

starting to mean more to our younger 

generation because they didn’t have anything 

to identify with other than our words. I 

think they’re starting to see more and 

more of our old ways and (its) making them 

understand our culture is so important and it 

brings back a lot of pride and respect in who 

they are.” — Edwina White, Juneau Empire, 

“Bringing History Home: Historic Klukwan tunic 

repatriated to Clan.” October 7, 2005

1879 1923 1939 1977 2004

Tunic worn by Klukwan 

Kaagwaantaan Clan 

Leader Kudeinahaa at a 

potlatch given by Chief 

Shakes in Wrangel, AK.

Photograph taken of 

Kudeinahaa wearing 

the tunic. Many years 

later the photograph is 

given to Joe Hotch, the 

hit saati (caretaker) of 

the Brown Bear House, 

a part of the Klukwan 

village’s Kaagwaantaan 

clan, by Haines historian 

Elizabeth Hakkinen 

telling him that he might 

need it one day. 

Going against Tlingit 

cultural property laws 

forbidding the sale 

of items such as the 

tunic because it is 

clan-owned property, 

the tunic is sold after 

Kudeinahaa’s death. 

Daughter of the 

original purchaser 

donates tunic to 

the Pheobe A. 

Hearst Museum 

of Anthropology, 

Berkeley, CA.

Tunic is photographed 

at the Pheobe A. 

Hearst Museum during 

a consultation visit 

by Sealaska Heritage 

Institute. 

I

n October 2005, the Sealaska Corporation repatriated the 

Brown Bear Chilkat Tunic from the Phoebe Hearst 

Museum. The tunic was originally worn by Klukwan 

Kaagwaantaan Clan Leader Kudeinahaa (Mike Kadanaha) 

and it is believed that the tunic’s spirit lives on in the item. 

The tunic was initially photographed during a museum 

visit in 2004 funded by a Consultation/Documentation 

Grant, and subsequently identified as part of the Klukwan 

Kaagwaantaan Clan at.óow (clan-owned ceremonial 

property) that had been missing for over 50 years. A Notice 

One Community’s Journey

Kaagwaataan Clan Leader 

Kudeinahaa in tunic, 1923.

of Intent to Repatriate was published in June 2005. Sealaska 

Corporation wrote and received a FY2005 Repatriation Grant 

to allow the project director and two representatives, the 

Klukwan Kaagwaantaan Clan Leader (Eagle moiety) and a 

Raven moiety representative, to travel to the Phoebe Hearst 

museum to transfer possession of the garment, and then travel 

with the tunic to the University of Washington, Burke 

Museum in Seattle to have it tested for contaminants. They 

then travelled with the tunic to Klukwan where the tunic was 

welcomed home by the community. %

Testing for contaminants at 

the Burke Museum, 2005. 
2005

Joe Hotch identifies 

tunic and produces 

photograph and other 

evidence to prove it 

belongs to his clan.

Tunic returns home to 

the Klukwan village.

Grants Move 

NAGPRA Forward

T

he NAGPRA Grants Program has been instrumental in 

helping museums, Indian tribes and NHOs across the 

country implement the provisions of NAGPRA. Over the 

years, the NAGPRA Grants program has supported hundreds of 

projects resulting in the repatriation of tens of thousands of 

human remains and cultural items. NAGPRA grants provide 

critical resources to museums, Indian tribes and NHOs. Indeed, 

no other funding source that explicitly funds NAGPRA compliance 

is available. Despite 15 years of funding for NAGPRA, there is 

still much work to be done. Many Indian tribes, NHOs and 

museums are only beginning to develop repatriation programs. 

Issues not considered when the law was first passed have 

emerged. How can Indian tribes and NHOs manage large scale 

repatriations? How should museums deal with their culturally 

unidentifiable human remains? What is the best way to identify 

and deal with contamination issues? As the NAGPRA community 

considers these issues, museums, Indian tribes and NHOs look 

to the NAGPRA grants program to help fund this most important 

and necessary work. %

“An item like this is important to 

all clan houses, but it’s important 

to the Brown Bear House because 

our ancestors put that together 

to say, ‘This is what people will 

know you by. This is who you are. 

It will be important to my nephews 

and nieces, and it will go on down 

from there’.“

— Joe Hotch, hit saati (caretaker) 

of the Brown Bear House, 

Kaagwaantaan Clan of Klukwan. 

Quoted in Chilkat Valley News, 

“Prized Tunic on its Way Home to 

Chilkat Valley” October 6, 2005

“I believe that museums have a deep ethical obligation to 

proactively address the legacies of collecting, and the 

NAGPRA Grants program is a vital means of enabling 

museums to fulfill their duties as stewards and caretakers. 

From the consultations and conversations that result from 

dealing with NAGPRA, museums have the potential of creating 

new kinds of relationships with Native American communities. 

When tribes see that museums are genuinely committed to 

NAGPRA, both the spirit and the letter of the law, new 

friendships and partnerships can develop.” — Chip ColwellChanthaphonh, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 

Colorado. (FY2008 Consultation/Documentation Grant)

“With the help of the Native American Graves Protection 

and Repatriation Act, and the funding of this grant, we 

have continued to not only reclaim and rename our past but 

also have asserted the identity of the Caddo as being the 

“Real Chiefs” governing our history and culture.” 

— Bobby Gonzalez and Robert Cast, Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, 

A Rediscovering of Caddo Heritage, 2005. 

(FY2004 Consultation/Documentation Grant)

Brown Bear Clan Hat and Chilkat 

Tunic in Klukwan, 2005.
JUNE 9, 2009: NEBRASKA

It feels really good to be finally picking up these old ones, it feels like all the hard 

work for the last two years is paying off. The curator at the Hastings Museum, Teresa 

Kruetzer-Hodson, has been great to work with and it’s nice to finally meet her. We are 

doing de-accession paperwork for the museum. Now I can start heading back home.

JUNE 10, 2009: NEBRASKA/IOWA BORDER

I am getting tired of driving. I have to stop every hour or so and stretch my legs, get the blood 

moving around. I miss cooking my own food, working out, and sleeping in my own bed. But my 

complaints are nothing in comparison to the situation of the old Anishnaabek I am bringing back 

home. Teresa told me, from the work they had done on the remains, the four skulls are all Indian 

men, from Michigan, in their early thirties. This made me really think. I am an Indian man, from 

Michigan, in my early thirties. I like to think, I am in the best years of my life, and it makes me sad to 

think these four men were in theirs when they passed. I guess I should stop thinking of myself and 

hurry up and get home to get these guys back in the ground.

JUNE 11 & 12, 2009: WISCONSIN

I arrived at Beloit, Wisconsin today. This is the other destination for this repatriation trip. I am retrieving burial 

items affiliated to my tribe. I met with Bill Green, Nicolette Meister and Michelle Burton of the Logan Museum of 

Anthropology to pick up the funerary objects. Of course, there is paperwork to sign, along with questions and 

answers. My tribe has been working with the Logan Museum for 10 years. It is so rewarding to finally repatriate 

these items. Even after a decade, progress can still be made if you don't give up.

JUNE 13, 2009: MICHIGAN

I arrived home around 3pm. I wanted to just lie on the couch and eat 

my favorite treat of plain yogurt, strawberries, blueberries and 

raspberries, but the idea of having the remains “wait around for me” 

got me motivated. I finished the reburial around 5pm. It was a beautiful 

day in the woods—sunshine, birds, not too hot. As always, after doing 

this, I felt like I did a good thing. I helped some other Anishnaabek. 

Now I could go home. 

6 The human remains were culturally unidentifiable and the disposition was to four Michigan tribes. The Little Traverse Bay 

Bands of Odawa Indians agreed to travel to return the human remains to Michigan for reburial.

7 The term Anishnaabek refers to tribes in the Great Lakes area.

The Journey Home

T

he Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians received a Repatriation Grant 

to return six funerary objects—a pipe bowl, three silver armbands, one 

silver cross pendant and one brass crucifix—from the Logan Museum of 

Anthropology in Beloit, Wisconsin, and four sets of human remains6

 from the 

Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Hastings, Nebraska. Eric 

Hemenway, the tribe’s Research and Repatriation Assistant and current NAGPRA 

Review Committee member, travelled for eight days to retrieve the human remains 

and cultural objects and meet the staff at both institutions. The human remains 

were reburied and the funerary objects are waiting to be tested for contaminants 

before being reburied. %

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OCTOBER 31, 2007: MICHIGAN

On behalf of all the tribes in Michigan, I made first contact with the Hastings 

Museum in Nebraska. Now, nearly two years after that phone call, going 

through the disposition process for culturally unidentifiable (CUI) human 

remains, the Federal Register process and securing a NAGPRA repatriation 

grant, I am ready to bring back home these old Anishnaabek.7
GRANTEES 

BY STATE

ALASKA

Ahtna, Inc.

Alaska State Museum

Aleutian/Pribilof Islands 

Association, Inc.

Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological 

Repository

Anvik Village

Bering Straits Foundation

Cape Fox Corporation

Central Council of the Tlingit & 

Haida Indian Tribes

Chickaloon Native Village

Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan)

Chilkoot Indian Association 

(Haines)

Denakkanaaga, Inc.

Hoonah Indian Association

Huna Heritage Foundation

Huna Totem Corporation

Hydaburg Cooperative Association

Keepers of the Treasure

Kenaitze Indian Tribe

Kootznoowoo Inc.

Naknek Native Village

Native Village of Eyak

Native Village of Gambell

Native Village of Kiana

Native Village of Kotzebue

Native Village ofTeller

Nome Eskimo Community

Nondalton Village

Organized Village of Kake

Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska

Sealaska Corporation

Sitka Tribe of Alaska

Tanadgusix Corporation

Univ. of Alaska Museum of 

the North

Village of Anaktuvak Pass

Yakutat Tlingit Tribe

ALABAMA

Univ. of Alabama Museums, Office 

of Archeological Services

ARKANSAS

Arkansas Archeological Survey

Arkansas State Univ. Museum

Univ. of Arkansas System, 

Arkansas Archeological Survey

ARIZONA

Arizona State Museum, 

Univ. of Arizona

Gila River Indian Community of the 

Gila River Indian Reservation

Heard Museum

Hopi Tribe of Arizona

Hualapai Indian Tribe of the 

Hualapai Indian Reservation

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of 

the Kaibab Indian Reservation

Museum of Northern Arizona

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian 

Community of the Salt River 

Reservation

White Mountain Apache Tribe of 

the Fort Apache Reservation

Yavapai-Apache Nation of the 

Camp Verde Indian Reservation

Yavapai-Prescott Tribe of the 

Yavapai Reservation

CALIFORNIA

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla 

Indians of the Agua Caliente 

Indian Reservation

Autry National Center

Barona Group of Capitan Grande 

Band of Mission Indians of the 

Barona Reservation

Bear River Band of the Rohnerville 

Rancheria

Cal. State, Fresno, Dept. of 

Anthropology

California Dept. of Parks and 

Recreation

Campo Band of Diegueno Mission 

Indians of the Campo Indian 

Reservation

Capitan Grande Band of Diegueno 

Mission Indians

Catalina Island Museum Society, Inc.

Chemehuevi Indian Tribe of 

the Chemehuevi Reservation

Death Valley Timbi-Sha Shoshone 

Band 

Dry Creek Rancheria of 

Pomo Indians 

Greenville Rancheria of 

Maidu Indians

Hoopa Valley Tribe

Karuk Tribe

Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of 

the Stewarts Point Rancheria

Los Angeles County Museum of 

Natural History

Mechoopda Indian Tribe of 

Chico Rancheria

Mooretown Rancheria of 

Maidu Indians 

Phoebe A. Hearst Museum 

of Anthropology

Pit River Tribe

Quartz Valley Indian Community of 

the Quartz Valley Reservation 

Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission 

Indians of the Rincon Reservation

Robinson Rancheria of 

Pomo Indians 

San Diego Archaeological Center

San Diego Museum of Man

San Diego State Univ.

San Francisco State Univ., 

Anthropology Dept.

San Francisco State Univ., Museum 

Studies Program

Sherwood Valley Rancheria of 

Pomo Indians 

Smith River Rancheria

Susanville Indian Rancheria

Table Mountain Rancheria 

Torres Martinez Desert 

Cahuilla Indians

Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians 

of the Tuolumne Rancheria 

Univ. of California, Los Angeles, 

Fowler Museum of Cultural History

Yurok Tribe of the Yurok 

Reservation

COLORADO

Colorado Historical Society

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 

Taylor Museum

Denver Art Museum

Denver Museum of Nature 

& Science

Fort Collins Museum

Fort Lewis College

Southern Ute Indian Tribe of 

the Southern Ute Reservation

Univ. of Colorado Museum, Boulder

Univ. of Denver, Dept. of 

Anthropology/Museum of 

Anthropology

CONNECTICUT

Mashantucket Pequot Tribe 

Mohegan Indian Tribe 

FLORIDA

Miccosukee Tribe of Indians

GEORGIA

Columbus Museum of Art

Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources

HAWAII

Bernice P. Bishop Museum

Council for Native Hawaiian 

Advancement

Hui Malama I Na Kupuna O 

Hawai'i Nei

Office of Hawaiian Affairs

IOWA

Univ. of Iowa

IDAHO

Univ. of Idaho, Alfred W. Bowers 

Laboratory of Anthropology

ILLINOIS

Field Museum of Natural History

Illinois State Museum

INDIANA

Indiana University, William 

Hammond Mathers Museum

KANSAS

Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska

Univ. of Kansas, Museum 

of Anthropology

KENTUCKY

Univ. of Kentucky, William S. Webb 

Museum of Anthropology

LOUISIANNA

Chitimacha Tribe 

Jena Band of Choctaw Indians

Louisiana State Univ., Museum 

of Natural Science

MARYLAND

Maryland Historical Trust

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Children’s Museum

Peabody Essex Museum

Peabody Museum of Archaeology 

and Ethnology, Harvard University

Robert S. Peabody Museum of 

Archaeology, Phillips Academy

Springfield Science Museum

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head 

(Aquinnah) 

MAINE

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians

Maine State Museum

MICHIGAN

Detroit Institute of Arts

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa 

and Chippewa Indians

Hannahville Indian Community

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake 

Superior Chippewa Indians

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians

Little Traverse Bay Bands of 

Odawa Indians

Public Museum of Grand Rapids

Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe 

Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa 

Indians 

MINNESOTA

Bois Forte Band (Nett Lake) of the 

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe

Grand Portage Band of the 

Minnesota Chippewa Tribe

Leech Lake Band of the Minnesota 

Chippewa Tribe

Mille Lacs Band of the Minnesota 

Chippewa Tribe

Minnesota Indian Affairs Council

Science Museum of Minnesota

Upper Sioux Community

White Earth Band of Minnesota 

Chippewa Tribe

MISSOURI

Missouri Dept. of Natural 

Resources

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi State Univ., Cobb 

Institute of Archaeology

MONTANA

Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the 

Fort Peck Indian Reservation

Chief Plenty Coups State Park

Confederated Salish & Kootenai 

Tribes of the Flathead Reservation

Northern Cheyenne Tribe 

NORTH CAROLINA

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians 

of North Carolina

Univ. of North Carolina at 

Chapel Hill

NORTH DAKOTA

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North 

& South Dakota

Three Affiliated Tribes of the 

Fort Berthold Reservation

Turtle Mountain Band of 

Chippewa Indians 

NEBRASKA

Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Hood Museum of Art, 

Dartmouth College

NEW MEXICO

Jicarilla Apache Nation

Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, 

Univ. of New Mexico

Mescalero Apache Tribe of the 

Mescalero Reservation

Museum of New Mexico, Museum 

of Indian Arts and Culture

Pueblo of Acoma

Pueblo of Jemez

Pueblo of Taos

Zuni Tribe of the Zuni Reservation

NEVADA

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of 

the Duckwater Reservation

Ely Shoshone Tribe 

Nevada State Museum

Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the 

Fallon Reservation and Colony

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of 

the Pyramid Lake Reservation

Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the 

Duck Valley Reservation

Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, 

Dept. of Anthropology

Washoe Tribe of Nevada & 

California

NEW YORK

American Museum of 

Natural History

Brooklyn Museum of Art

New York State Museum

Rochester Museum & 

Science Center

Rome Historical Society

Seneca Nation of New York

St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians 

SUNY Oswego, Research 

Foundation

SUNY, Binghamton, Dept. 

of Anthropology

OHIO

Cincinnati Art Museum

Dayton Society of Natural History

Ohio Univ., Kennedy Museum 

of American Art

OKLAHOMA

Caddo Nation of Oklahoma

Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes 

of Oklahoma

Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Citizen Potawatomi Nation, 

Oklahoma

Comanche Nation

Delaware Nation

Delaware Tribe of Indians

Eastern Shawnee Tribe 

Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma

Kaw Nation

Miami Tribe of Oklahoma

Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma

Muscogee (Creek) Nation, 

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Historical Society

Osage Tribe

Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, 

Oklahoma

Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma

Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma

Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma

Quapaw Tribe of Indians

Sac & Fox Nation, Oklahoma

Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of 

Natural History, Univ. of Oklahoma

Seminole Nation of Oklahoma

Wichita and Affiliated Tribes 

(Wichita, Keechi, Waco & 

Tawakonie)

OREGON

Burns Paiute Tribe

Confederated Tribes of the Coos, 

Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians 

Confederated Tribes of the Grand 

Ronde Community 

Confederated Tribes of the 

Umatilla Reservation

Confederated Tribes of the 

Warm Springs Reservation 

Coquille Tribe

Klamath Tribes

Oregon State Univ., Dept. of 

Anthropology

Oregon State Univ., Horner Collection

Southern Oregon Univ.

Univ. of Oregon Museum of 

Natural History

PENNSYLVANIA

Univ. of Pennsylvania Museum of 

Archaeology and Anthropology

RHODE ISLAND

Haffenreffer Museum of 

Anthropology, Brown Univ.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of the 

Cheyenne River Reservation

Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine 

Ridge Reservation

Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the 

Rosebud Indian Reservation

South Dakota State Historical 

Society, State Archaeological 

Research Center

TEXAS

Panhandle-Plains Historical 

Museum, West Texas A&M Univ.

Texas Tech Univ., Museum

Univ. of Texas, El Paso, Centennial 

Museum

UTAH

Southern Utah Univ. Archeological 

Repository

Utah Museum of Natural History, 

Univ. of Utah

WASHINGTON

Central Washington Univ.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive 

Center Museum

Confederated Tribes and Bands of 

the Yakama Nation

Confederated Tribes of the 

Chehalis Reservation

Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Eastern Washington State 

Historical Society

Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe 

Lummi Tribe of the Lummi 

Reservation

Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah 

Indian Reservation

Nisqually Indian Tribe of the 

Nisqually Reservation

Nooksack Indian Tribe 

Northwest Museum of Arts 

and Culture

Samish Indian Tribe

Skokomish Indian Tribe of the 

Skokomish Reservation

Spokane Tribe of the Spokane 

Reservation

Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin 

Island Reservation

Stillaguamish Tribe 

Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port 

Madison Reservation

Univ. of Washington, Burke Museum

WISCONSIN

Bad River Band of the Lake 

Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake 

Superior Chippewa Indians

Menominee Indian Tribe 

Milwaukee Public Museum

Oneida Tribe of Indians of 

Wisconsin

Stockbridge Munsee Community

Wisconsin Historical Society, 

Museum Division
NATIONAL NAGPRA PROGRAM STAFF: 

Sherry Hutt — National NAGPRA Program Manager 

Robin Coates — Program Assistant 

Sangita Chari — Grants and Outreach Coordinator 

Jaime Lavallee — Federal Register Notices Coordinator 

Mariah Soriano — Database and Website Coordinator 

David Tarler — Training, NAGPRA Compliance, and 

Designated Federal Officer to the Review Committee 

Richard C. Waldbauer — Technical Documents Coordinator

T

HE NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND 

REPATRIATION ACT (NAGPRA) is a Federal law passed in 

1990. NAGPRA provides a process for museums and Federal 

agencies to resolve control of Native American human remains and 

cultural items—funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of 

cultural patrimony—to lineal descendants, Indian tribes and 

Native Hawaiian organizations. 

The National NAGPRA Program assists the Secretary of 

the Interior with some of the Secretary's responsibilities under 

NAGPRA. Among its chief activities, National NAGPRA develops 

regulations and guidance for implementing NAGPRA; provides 

administrative and staff support for the Native American Graves 

Protection and Repatriation Review Committee; assists Indian 

tribes, Native Alaskan villages and corporations, Native Hawaiian 

organizations, museums, and Federal agencies understand the 

NAGPRA process; maintains Native American online databases; 

provides training; manages a grants program; investigates 

allegations of failure to comply; and makes program documents 

and publications available on the web. %

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BROWN: 29 78 91 78 

National NAGPRA Program 

National Park Service

1201 Eye Street, NW (2253)

8th Floor

Washington, D.C. 20005

Phone: 202.354.2201

Fax: 202.371.5197

E-mail: NAGPRA_Info@nps.gov

www.nps.gov/history/NAGPRA

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

National NAGPRA Program