Mesa Verde National Park returns ancestral remains and sacred objects
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Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado is returning over 4,000 sacred objects and the remains of 85 Indigenous people to Tribes in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
This is the park’s largest repatriation effort to date, addressing a decades-long effort by Tribal nations to reclaim ancestral remains and cultural items.
The return fulfills requirements of the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which mandates federal agencies to return Native American human remains and cultural items to their proper Tribal communities. The park completed an inventory identifying items like ceramic bowls, sandals, and feather boxes, and is now accepting repatriation requests from Tribes. For descendant communities, the return of these objects and remains is about more than just correcting a historical wrong.
It allows them to regain stewardship of their ancestors, burial items, and ceremonial objects, things that were often taken without consent. Federal officials and Tribal representatives are collaborating to legally and culturally facilitate the return.
David Hyde, a museum volunteer curator, stated that “It feels amazing to know that these ancestors and different objects are going to go home and be buried, that they get to finish their journey finally.” This action recognizes respect and accountability for past injustices, and supports cultural preservation and healing for Indigenous communities.
