Native America Calling: Why are museums taking down Native exhibitions?

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Monday, February 5, 2024

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Why are museums taking down Native exhibitions?

New language in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is prompting museums to pull some Native items from public display.

The rule went into effect in January that requires museums to consult with tribes more comprehensively when it comes to Native artifacts. That’s because, even though they may not be the human remains or sacred items that NAGPRA historically referenced, many items held by museums, universities, and other institutions could have been looted from Native sites or otherwise taken under suspicious circumstances.

The American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York, is among the institutions responding to new Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act regulations. Photo: Wally Gobetz

Guests on Native America Calling

William Hughes, president of the Authentic Tribal Art Dealers Association (ATADA)

Dr. Meranda Roberts (Citizen of the Yerington Paiute Tribe and Chicana), guest curator and visiting art history professor at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College

Kate Compton-Gore, NAGPRA specialist for the Museum of Northern Arizona