Following the Act, one of the primary functions of the Office is to determine the extent to which human remains held by the Museum are culturally affiliated with contemporary Native American groups. Resolving the identity of the remains can be a time-consuming and challenging task but one that the Museum and the staff of the RO take very seriously. Documentation, or the physical examination of the remains, is an integral part of the repatriation process. It provides one line of evidence used to determine cultural affiliation as required by the law. Biological information on the shape and physical condition of the remains is evaluated, along with museum records, archaeological and anthropological information, and traditional knowledge, to help identify Native American groups with whom the remains may be affiliated.
Documentation serves to confirm existing museum records.
It also forms part of the permanent record of the Museum's compliance with the repatriation mandate, the determination of cultural affiliation, and the arrangements made for transfer of remains to Native representatives. Information assembled and permanently archived at the Museum as a record of repatriation is available to Native groups for their own records and use. The paragraphs below provide specific details on the kinds of information recorded during documentation and the significance it has to the determination of cultural affiliation. A listing of the skeletal remains present . In each repatriation case, all of the physical remains that have been requested for return are first retrieved from storage.