How many Native American human remains and cultural items have been repatriated since the passage of NAGPRA?
There is no single source for this information. While museums and Federal agencies are required to keep their own record of repatriations, NAGPRA does not require museums and Federal agencies to report repatriations to the Secretary of the Interior or to the National Park Service. Museums and Federal agencies are required, however, to publish notices in the Federal Register when they have determined that Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and/or objects of cultural patrimony are culturally affiliated and are eligible for repatriation. The National NAGPRA program compiles statistics twice yearly on the total number of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural for which Federal Register notices have been published.
