New York’s American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is closing two halls featuring Native American artifacts, a move in compliance with federal regulations recently updated under the Biden administration that now requires permission from tribes to display their objects.
Earlier this month, newly revised regulations surrounding the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (Nagpra) went into effect, mandating that museums and other institutions obtain consent from tribes in order to showcase or research human remains or cultural items. The new guidelines also give institutions five years to prepare all human remains and related funerary objects for repatriation while giving more authority to tribes throughout the process.
