The National Park Service, as part of its responsibilities under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), announced the intent of the U.S. Forest Service to return human remains and associated funerary items found in the Santa Fe National Forest to relatives or tribes. These items, which include human remains and 46 funerary objects like pottery sherds and charcoal fragments, were discovered at a site in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Tribes with priority for claiming these remains include the Hopi Tribe and several Pueblo tribes, among others. If no claims are made by December 30, 2025, the remains and objects may be classified as unclaimed.
Simple Explanation
The Forest Service found some old belongings and bones of Native American people in the Santa Fe National Forest. They are planning to give these back to the families or tribes they belong to, and if nobody claims them by the end of next year, they might be labeled as unclaimed.