New law restricts export of sacred Native American items from US

Pictured are drawings from an 1894 anthropological book on katchina or katsina figures, created by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States, who regard them as spiritually important. On December 21, President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act (aka the STOP Act) into law, which prohibits the export of sacred Native American items, among other notable measures. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers
Pictured are drawings from an 1894 anthropological book on katchina or katsina figures, created by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States, who regard them as spiritually important. On December 21, President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act (aka the STOP Act) into law, which prohibits the export of sacred Native American items, among other notable measures. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers
These drawings are from Jesse Walter Fewkes’ 1894 anthropological book on katchina or katsina figures created by the native Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States, who regard them as spiritually important. On December 21, President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act (aka the STOP Act) into law, which prohibits the export of sacred Native American items, among other cultural measures. Public domain image

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) – Federal penalties have increased under a newly signed law intended to protect the cultural patrimony of Native American tribes, immediately making some crimes a felony and doubling the prison time for anyone convicted of multiple offenses. President Joe Biden signed the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act on Dec. 21, a bill that had been introduced since 2016. Along with stiffer penalties, it prohibits the export of sacred Native American items from the U.S. and creates a certification process to distinguish art from sacred items.

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University of Kansas returning Native American remains

Spooner Hall, part of the Lawrence campus of the University of Kansas, photographed in May 2018. In October, university officials stated online that it has begun the process of returning Native American remains, artefacts and sacred objects found in museum collections located in Spooner Hall and other university buildings. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Gen. Quon. Shared under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Spooner Hall, part of the Lawrence campus of the University of Kansas, photographed in May 2018. In October, university officials stated online that it has begun the process of returning Native American remains, artefacts and sacred objects found in museum collections located in Spooner Hall and other university buildings. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Gen. Quon. Shared under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Spooner Hall, part of the Lawrence campus of the University of Kansas, photographed in May 2018. In October, university officials stated online that it has begun the process of returning Native American remains, artefacts and sacred objects found in museum collections located in Spooner Hall and other university buildings. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Gen. Quon. Shared under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – The University of Kansas has begun the process of returning Native American remains and other sacred objects that were recently discovered in its museum collections, the university said.

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Alabama archives to return Native American remains, burial objects

The Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Ala., photographed in April 2009. During the week of August 8, the institution announced it had begun the process of returning Native American remains and funerary objects to the tribes from which they came, in accordance with federal law. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Chris Pruitt. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery, Ala., photographed in April 2009. During the week of August 8, the institution announced it had begun the process of returning Native American remains and funerary objects to the tribes from which they came, in accordance with federal law. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, photo credit Chris Pruitt. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – The Alabama Department of Archives and History has announced that it is beginning the process of returning Native American remains and funerary objects held in its collections to tribes as required by federal law. The department also announced it had removed the funerary objects from displays where the artifacts had sat for years to be viewed by school groups and other visitors.

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