Belonging: Restitution, Dignity,
and Care in Collections

Exhibit Glossary

Belonging- A word used in place of object, item, or artifact. This is done to center the belongings autonomy. The word reflects that the ancestor, basket, or belonging is not owned by the museum as it belongs to its community, even if that community has yet to be identified.

Compliance– When an institution that is eligible under NAGPRA has reviewed and consulted on all of their Native American collections and are in good standing in regards to ongoing consultation on their display, use and storage of all Native American belongings.

Cultural Patrimony- Per NPS, object of cultural patrimony “means an object that has ongoing historical, traditional, or cultural importance central to the Native American group, including any constituent sub-group (such as a band, clan, lineage, ceremonial society, or other subdivision).”

Duty of Care– A term for the institution’s responsibility regarding NAGPRA compliance in their collections. Duty of Care encompasses how a belonging is stored and cared for, when it is moved, who can handle it and whether or not it can be put on display, researched, or accessed by an individual or group.

Ethical Return- The return of items that do not fall under NAGPRA traditionally, either because the institution is private (has not received federal funds) or because the item is not being claimed as one of the item types protected under NAGPRA. There is no formal process for ethical returns.

Funerary Object-  Per NPS, funerary objects are “any object reasonably believed to have been placed intentionally with or near human remains. A funerary object is any object connected, either at the time of death or later, to a death rite or ceremony of a Native American culture.”

Inventory– A list of all human remains at an institution published on the federal register for THPOs. 

Lineal Descendant– a person or family who is related to the original maker of a NAGPRA eligible item in a museum. They are one of the few entities who can receive a NAGPRA repatriation alongside a federally recognized Tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.

NAGPRA– Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Federal Law passed in 1990 that protected and mandated the return of items in museum collections that qualified as Human Remains, Funerary Items, Items of Cultural Patrimony, Ceremonial or Sacred Objects. 

National NAGPRA– An agency under the National Parks Service that manages all repatriations that fall under NAGPRA, they also lead training, answer inquiries, monitor compliance and have a select number of Grants for Tribes and institutions engaged in NAGPRA returns.

Notice of Intended Repatriation (NIR)- Notice posted on the federal register and given to all federally recognized Tribes with a competing claim or possible affiliation with a belonging or collection of belongings that has been requested for repatriation. The institution has 30 days to respond with an NIR after confirming a request meets all criteria for return.

Repatriation/Rematriation– The return of important items whether through ethical return of a NAGPRA repatriation. This word can be used on non-physical items like internal pictures, data, and research.

Repatriation Statement- Statement acknowledging the return of an belonging or collection of belongings home. This is sent to National NAGPRA and the requesting Tribe within 90 days of the NIR.

Request for Repatriation– Sent from a federally recognized Tribe following the published summary and consultation period, the institution has 90 days to respond to all requests.

Sacred Object- Per NPS, sacred object “means a specific ceremonial object needed by a traditional religious leader for present-day adherents to practice traditional Native American religion.”

Summary– A list of all cultural patrimony, ceremonial, funerary, and sacred belongings at the museum published on a federal register for THPOs. 

THPO- Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, an official appointed by a Tribe to be the final authority when it comes to NAGPRA inquiries, consultation and return. THPOs may have teams or be individuals working alone, they may be volunteers or employees of the Tribe and they often coordinate teams of culture keepers or are themselves a culture keeper for their Tribe’s artistic and ceremonial traditions making them uniquely knowledgeable and authoritative on their Tribe’s belongings.