Interior Department Proposed Rule

2022-22376: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Systematic Process for Disposition and Repatriation of Native American Human Remains, Funerary Objects, Sacred Objects, and Objects of Cultural Patrimony

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Summary

The Department of the Interior proposes to revise regulations to improve implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990. These proposed regulations would clarify and improve upon the systematic process for the disposition and repatriation of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony. The proposed changes would provide a step-by-step roadmap for museums and Federal agencies to comply with requirements within specific timelines to facilitate the required disposition and repatriation. The proposed changes would describe the processes in accessible language with clear timelines and terms, reduce ambiguity, and improve efficiency in meeting the requirements. In addition, the proposed changes emphasize consultation in every step and defer to the customs, traditions, and Native American traditional knowledge of lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.

The agency’s own summary, as published.

What this changes

Amends 1 part of the Code of Federal Regulations — the standing rules this notice rewrites.

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