Indiana University is repatriating 27 sacred objects to the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
The items include ceremonial rattles, bear claw necklaces and an otter cap worn by famous Pawnee scout Captain Jim, said Marti Only A Chief, Pawnee Nation’s NAGPRA coordinator.
Only A Chief credits IU NAGPRA Director Jayne-Leigh Thomas and her staff for going through the process correctly and caring for Pawnee Nation’s items.
“I can't express appreciation for Indiana University and returning our things back, our sacred items,” Only A Chief said. “When I went there and I’d seen it for the first time, it was just like, ‘Wow.’”
Under NAGPRA, lineal descendants, federally-recognized tribal nations and Native Hawiian organizations can claim cultural items. Human remains, funerary objects and sacred objects can be returned after submitting a claim. NAGPRA was passed in 1990, and the U.S. National Park Service runs the program.
In a 2023 special project on NAGPRA, the Indiana Daily Student reported anthropologists associated with IU used Native American remains for teaching and research, acquiring more than 5,800 human remains.
The repatriated Pawnee Nation objects were part of an ethnographic collection at IU, Thomas said.
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Pawnee Nation has about 3,200 enrolled members. After encroachment from white settlers, the Pawnee were forced to relocate to Oklahoma in 1875.
“I live in Pawnee, and I've lived in Pawnee most of my life,” Only A Chief said. “We’ve never seen these things. And it's just — just to see them and just know who they belong to, it's emotional. It's gratifying.”
The IU NAGPRA Office was founded in 2013. Thomas has worked with tribal nations around the country, consulting with communities and making plans for return and, if necessary, reburial. Thomas said it is “exceptionally important for NAGPRA representatives to get out of the office.”
“There are over 50 tribes we work with that claim Indiana as a homeland, but they were removed out of the state,” Thomas said. “A lot of people have this misconception that there are no tribes left, and there are no tribes with an interest in the State of Indiana, which is absolutely not true.”
Like other people living in Pawnee, Only A Chief had only seen these objects in pictures. She said it’s “overwhelming” to finally see in person what was worn and used.
“It's emotional, just to actually, finally get to see, and then show our people and show our grandkids and our kids,” Only A Chief said. “Because people can't just travel to different museums all over the United States to see some of our Pawnee objects.”
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Only A Chief said she will continue working with IU as well as about 35 other institutions for repatriation.
Because the process can involve burials or other sensitive ceremonies, Thomas said many tribes choose not to publicize repatriation.
“We are continuing to consult with dozens of federally recognized tribal nations and Native Hawaiian organizations across the country on a lot of different repatriation projects,” Thomas said. “But aside from that, I can't reveal any details.”
IU partnered with the University of Illinois for the annual Intensive NAGPRA Summer Training and Education Program this year. The program focused on best practices for repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural objects. In 2023, IU and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma co-hosted the Department of the Interior’s annual National NAGPRA Review Committee Meeting at the Bloomington campus.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
