- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The National Park Service (NPS) has announced a grant allocation of $3.4 million to benefit 16 American Indian Tribes and 28 museums. These grants are designed to provide support for activities related to consultation, documentation, and the repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural artifacts, all in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). This funding represents the most substantial appropriation for NAGPRA grants since the Act's enactment in 1990 and the inception of the funding program in 1994.
Chuck Sams (Umatilla), the Director of the National Park Service, emphasized the agency's unwavering commitment to facilitating Tribal consultations, documentation, and repatriation efforts.
"By granting funds through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, we are ensuring that Tribes can continue to honor and care for their ancestors, a practice they have upheld since time immemorial," Sams said.
NAGPRA outlines a structured framework for returning human remains, funerary objects, sacred items, and objects of cultural significance to Native American and Alaska Native Tribes, as well as Native Hawaiian organizations.
Among the grants, a total of 21 awards have been bestowed upon seven Indian Tribes and seven museums. These funds will support the transportation and repatriation of human remains, which include a significant number—11,354 ancestors—along with more than 10,400 funerary objects and 39 cultural items.
The University of Colorado Museum and the University of Northern Colorado have collaborated to facilitate a reburial ceremony for 123 ancestors located in southwestern Colorado. This joint effort will be aided by grant funds that cover travel expenses for both museum and Tribal representatives participating in the ceremony. Additionally, the funds will be allocated for labor and materials required for the reburial process. This collaborative project not only reduces the overall costs associated with the reburial but also reunites long-separated ancestors and restores their shared journey. For more comprehensive information about these repatriations, refer to the relevant Federal Register notices for the University of Colorado Museum and the University of Northern Colorado.
More Stories Like This
50 Years of Self-Determination: How a Landmark Act Empowered Tribal Sovereignty and Transformed Federal-Tribal RelationsNavajo Citizens Voice Mixed Reactions to Trump’s Coal Executive Order at Public Hearing
Apache Stronghold Will Petition the U.S. Supreme Court Again on Monday, June 23
California Senate Panel Backs Ramos Bill on Tribal Regalia Rights at Graduation
Janie Simms Hipp Named 2025 Chickasaw Nation Dynamic Woman of the Year
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
