U.S. museums cover Native American displays and artifacts: sacred heritage finally being returned

Museums across America are covering their Native displays and artifacts as a new rule has been set in place. This new rule has been implicated to strengthen the law already set in place: The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which was enacted in 1990. 

The artifacts and displays impacted range from Native American to Native Hawaiian groups. 

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act addresses the repatriation and disposition of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants, Native American Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. 

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement that this act requires museums along with federal agencies to identify and send back stolen sacred items to their respective cultural groups. 

However, due to many museums not following this act, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Interior Department decided recently to add in new rules. 

This new rule was to set a deadline of five years, giving more than enough time for federally funded organizations to set in stone their collections. The Field Museum of Chicago also partook in the covering of Native artifacts and displays, taking place Jan. 10, 2024. 

This entire process will allow these museums to obtain consent from these Native groups as well as returning any and all human remains that are displayed. Luckily, there are no human remains in the Field Museum. 

As for the future, The Field Museum is currently having their Museum staff review information on these artifacts and contacting Tribes as well as NHO’s for their input. The display cases will remain covered during this time.