SCHATZ PRESSES MUSEUMS AND UNIVERSITIES TO QUICKLY RETURN NATIVE ANCESTRAL REMAINS AND ITEMS, COMPLY WITH NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION ACT

For Immediate Release

June 17, 2026

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SCHATZ PRESSES MUSEUMS AND UNIVERSITIES TO QUICKLY RETURN NATIVE ANCESTRAL REMAINS AND ITEMS, COMPLY WITH NATIVE AMERICAN GRAVES PROTECTION AND REPATRIATION ACT

Renewed Call Follows Schatz’s Efforts In Recent Years To Return Native Remains and Items Back To The Communities Where They Belong

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, renewed calls to 15 museums and universities to promptly repatriate Native ancestral remains and cultural items to the communities they belong to and meet their obligations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The renewed call follows efforts Schatz has led over the past few years to address the slow repatriation process by many U.S. institutions who continue to hold tens of thousands of Native remains and items.

“It shouldn’t take this long to return Native remains to their communities. Indigenous people have waited long enough. It’s time for these museums and universities to stop the delays and finally do the right thing,” said Senator Schatz.

The 15 museums and universities Schatz wrote to include Ohio History Connection, Illinois State Museum, Harvard University, University of California Berkley, Indiana University, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Kentucky, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Florida, University of Missouri, University of Oklahoma, Center for American Archeology, University of Texas at Austin, and Milwaukee Public Museum. Each were asked to update their compliance with NAGPRA, explain why NAGPRA items remain in their possession, and report any barriers to compliance, among other follow up questions unique to each institution’s initial responses.

The letters Schatz sent to the institutions are available here.

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