Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology last Wednesday released an update on its Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation efforts under the Repatriation Act.
The data, updated for the first time since October 2023, shows that as of December 31, 2023, Peabody had repatriated 10,209 burial goods, and as of February 1, Peabody had repatriated 4,439 burial goods. They report that their ancestors were repatriated. No ancestors have been repatriated since early 2024, said Holly J. Jensen, a spokeswoman for the College of Humanities and Sciences.
A 2022 university report revealed that at the time, Peabody housed the remains of nearly 7,000 Native Americans and at least 19 enslaved individuals.
Since NAGPRA was passed in 1990, Peabody has repatriated 44 percent of the museum’s total of 10,118 ancestors, Jensen said.
Following repeated requests for data from Crimson, the latest information on Peabody’s repatriation efforts is now available on the museum’s website.
In an emailed statement, Harvard spokeswoman Nicole Rulla said the decision to release the information to the public was made after “museum staff updated the committee with the latest data before any updates were made on the public dashboard.” said.
Rura said Peabody will now provide updated data through its dashboard twice a year, in June and December, to “provide greater transparency on the progress of this work.”
Earlier this month, the Peabody Tribe removed more than 40 items from public display after consulting with tribal leaders about removing sacred and funerary objects. The museum reopened all of its previously closed exhibits last Friday.
The repatriation process includes consulting with tribes to ensure that items and remains are properly returned to their homelands. Currently, Peabody lists data on tribal consultation processes by state, marking nine as “completed” and others as “in consultation” or “in consultation.”
Leaders of some Native American organizations said the timeline for Peabody’s repatriation process has been delayed.
“Whatever the reason, I hope they at least acknowledge the fact that they’ve been extremely slow,” said Shannon O’Loughin, a lawyer and chief executive of the American Indian Affairs Association. .
Peabody staff is in contact with 50 to 75 tribal nations at the same time, said Jonathan L. Swain, a Harvard spokesman.
Other Native American leaders are asking for more patience with the complicated process.
John “Jim” Peters Jr., a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and executive director of the Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs, said, “It is important to note that some of our ancestors and related items are still there. There’s a reason,” he said.
Peters said that in addition to making “appropriate efforts to put our ancestors back where they belong,” it also requires “patience on both of our part.”
“I feel a responsibility to help provide justice for our ancestors,” Peters said. “But we didn’t really have the time or resources to actually do it the right way,” Peters said.
—Staff writer Neeraja S. Kumar can be reached at neeraja.kumar@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Annabel M. Yu can be reached at annabel.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @annabelmyu.
