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NAGPRA is a Federal law passed by Congress in 1990. The law provides a process for museums and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items – including human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony – to tribal groups, lineal descendants, and Native Hawaiian organizations.

GHM collections staff conducted an inventory of all the museum’s Native American objects in late 2024. Next, they reached out to more than 50 tribal nations and groups who may have cultural ties to those objects. Since then, Curator of Collections Ayla Amon has been consulting with representatives responding to those letters to determine what objects need to be returned.

Some objects were taken off display until we can speak to the tribal groups they represent to make sure that it is okay that the museum has the objects and that we are displaying them properly.

If you have questions about NAGPRA, please contact Ayla Amon, Curator of Collections, at ayla.amon@greensboro-nc.gov or (336) 373-4589. For any press inquiries, please contact Carol Ghiorsi Hart, Museum Director, at carol.hart@greensboro-nc.gov or (336) 373-2306.

Museum staff are proactive in evaluating appropriateness of previously collected materials based on GHM’s current mission; that includes prioritizing ethical and legal requirements around cultural patrimony, war, and conflict. The museum prioritizes appropriate repatriation of collections based on research, interpretive priorities, and, most importantly, ethical considerations of appropriate homes for collections.

Learn more about specific repatriation efforts in the feature story below.