Today, Explained Fight at the Museum
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Feb 22, 2024 
ProPublica reporter Mary Hudetz, an expert on Native American repatriation, joins curator Catherine Roberts Shteynberg from the McClung Museum to discuss the impacts of new federal regulations on museum exhibits. They highlight the urgent need for museums to gain consent from Native tribes before displaying artifacts. The conversation dives into the ethical complexities of repatriation, the evolution of museum practices, and the vital importance of centering Indigenous perspectives in cultural heritage discussions.
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Museum Closures
- Museums closed exhibits featuring Native cultures after new regulations.
- This surprised the public, who were largely unaware of NAGPRA.
NAGPRA Claims Process
- Tribes can claim ancestors and objects, but museums could previously deem items unidentifiable.
- New regulations give more weight to tribal histories and knowledge.
Harvard's Collection
- Harvard has the third highest number of un-repatriated ancestral remains, over 5,000.
- Their aggressive collecting practices in the 1800s influenced other institutions.