Trump Administration finalizes returns of American Indian ancestral objects from Finland

President Donald Trump defends playing down the coronavirus pandemic.
President Donald Trump defends playing down the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated: Sep. 17, 2020 at 4:32 PM MST
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TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Last year, President Trump and Finland President Niinisto finalized an agreement to return American-Indian ancestral remains and funerary objects taken over a century ago from, what is now, Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.

On Sep. 17, 2020, The Secretary of Interior David L. Berndhardt and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney- met with President Trump to recognize the importance of these items being returned to the national park.

In 1891, a Swedish researcher conducted excavations in the national park area and removed a large collection of American-Indian ancestral remains, funerary items and other prized objects. The area was home to people of the Ancestral Pueblo for more than 700 years before the 1300′s.

“Repatriating ancestral remains to the Tribes that are culturally connected to the Mesa Verde region underscores the importance of continued protection of the heritage and traditions of our Indian nations,” said Assistant Secretary Sweeney.

“While this is a solemn occasion, I express my humble gratitude to President Trump and President Niinistӧ for leading a team of dedicated individuals working alongside Tribal governments to achieve this successful conclusion.”

Under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act [NAGPRA], Federal law requires that museums in the United States and Federal agencies transfer human remains and funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants, Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations that have requested them.

[This] is one of several international repatriations from foreign museums that Interior has supported in recent years in response to Tribes' requests for assistance.

Although NAGPRA does not apply internationally, the U.S. refers to the national policy established by NAGPRA in its support for Tribal requests for repatriation from foreign countries.

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