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Repatriation

Native Nations have never given up their inherent sovereignty over their cultural heritage.

The looting and trafficking of Native Ancestors and their burial belongings from their resting places, and the illicit trading and collecting of sacred objects and cultural heritage is an abuse of Indigenous human rights recognized by Articles 11 and 12 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

We have built a national and international effort assisting Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples in the United States with domestic and international repatriation. ​As experts in repatriation, we can help can help individuals, Native Nations, collectors, museums and auction houses protect Native cultural heritage.
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Our Current Work
Follow our latest repatriation work here, including free video training.
How we Can Help
We offer policy development, technical assistance, community building and an annual Repatriation Conference.
resources
Links to our Auction and Collection Education,  Cultural Heritage Laws, International Repatriation and Boarding Schools pages. 

Repatriation

Repatriation is the return of Indigenous Ancestral remains, their burial belongings, and sacred and cultural objects back to their original Nations and lineal descendants. All of these types of tangible cultural heritage belong to Native Nations and are the national patrimony of those Nations. There is no individual or entity that has the authority to remove these items from the Nation. ​Only the free, prior and informed consent from the Native Nation can transfer ownership of these sensitive items to someone else. 

ABC News Live

In November 2024, our CEO and Attorney, Shannon O'Loughlin, was featured in an ABC News segment highlighting repatriation efforts. As experts in this critical work, we remain committed every day to returning Ancestors and sacred items to their rightful Nations. ​


Our Work

ProPublica database to find out where Ancestors were taken from and which institutions report still having them. 

The Need for Religious Freedom and Human Rights: The Reckoning of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, featuring Suzan Shown Harjo, Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee - Red Hoop Talk 

NAGPRA at Berkeley Pt. 1 Shannon O'Loughlin by Indigenous United (soundcloud.com)

Challenge 2.0 Reclaiming Their Own Part One, with Shannon O'Loughlin and Jay Julius - YouTube

Challenge 2.0 Reclaiming Their Own Part Two, with Shannon O'Loughlin and Jay Julius - YouTube

A Legacy Revealed | Podcast on Spotify, Episode 4 (at time 18:45) with Shannon O'Loughlin, Sonya Atalay, Shannon Martin and Colleen Medicine 

From Repatriation to Rematriation: Honoring the Ancestors and Their Seeds, with Sonya Atalay, Shannon Martin and David Michener - Red Hoop Talk
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We Call on Harvard to Comply with NAGPRA 
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​Starting at Home: How Universities Can Use NAGPRA to Rebuild Relationships Inside and Out

Museums and universities are the change agents that can ultimately transform how NAGPRA is implemented to fulfill the human rights mission of the law to benefit Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples. This webinar will examine how NAGPRA compliance allows institutions to reimagine their internal team and grow a community of support within the institution, while building genuine and transparent relationships with Native Nations. These efforts will not only fulfill our legal obligations, they help to right historical wrongs. Universities and museums, including the Longyear Museum of Anthropology at Colgate University in New York, can comply with NAGPRA while supporting their purpose of appropriately educating the public through strategies that fulfill the letter of the law.

​Panelists from the Longyear Museum of Anthropology, Colgate University including: Summer Frazier, Eel Clan, Onondaga Nation, Curatorial Assistant Lisa Latocha, Wolf Clan, Oneida Indian Nation, Community Liaison Rebecca Mendelsohn, Co-Director of University Museums, Curator Kelsey Olney-Wall, Repatriation Manager


How We Can Help

We have built a national and international effort assisting Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples in the United States with domestic and international repatriation. ​ ​We have been a national leader advocating for the repatriation of Native American cultural heritage since our founding. ​
Policy Development
We contribute to the development of legislation and progressive policy and has provided advocacy for the creation and passage of the National Museum of the American Indian Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, PROTECT Patrimony Resolution, and the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony (STOP) Act.
 
Technical Assistance
​We develop training and technical assistance for Tribes, museums and practitioners, including our Annual Repatriation Conference and webinars on topics including domestic and international repatriation, developing Tribal laws and implementing a repatriation program, and creating strategies to obtain repatriation from private collectors domestically and internationally.
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Community
We provide a centralized space for traditionalists, Tribal cultural preservation specialists and other experts to collaborate on best practices and create usable guides and templates for others in its Repatriation Working Group.
 
Conference
The Association has a recognized and established annual conference on Repatriation.  ​
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Resources

To learn more, visit these other pages on our website.
Auctions & ​Collections
​Education
Cultural ​Heritage
​Laws
International
​Repatriation
boarding schools
About Us
Contact
Our Work​​
Scholarships
Careers
News
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Association on American Indian Affairs
6030 Daybreak Circle, Suite A150-217
Clarksville, Maryland 21029​
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​The Association is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) publicly supported organization.
​We do not take federal grants.
​Support our work here. FEIN: 13-1623902
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