The U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service has issued a notice regarding the handling of human remains and funerary objects taken from federal or tribal lands in Alaska, following the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). These items were excavated between 1999 and 2003 from the Cutbank Site and are held at the Alaska Regional Curatorial Center. The notice outlines plans to return them to the appropriate Native American tribes or descendants, with disposition possible from April 17, 2025. Claimants have until March 18, 2026, to submit claims or the items may be deemed unclaimed.
Simple Explanation
In Alaska, the government is planning to give back bones and special items they found on land that belongs to Native American tribes. They're making sure everything is done by the rules and will start returning the items next year, giving people one year to say if they want them back.