Over three decades ago, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was created… This act requires institutions that receive federal funding… such as museums and universities… to return human remains, sacred objects, and other items of cultural significance to federally recognized tribes…

However… even now, in 2024… the struggle continues when it comes to the return of ancestral remains and revered belongings. This slowness in repatriation can be found across the country… and here in the Bay Area as well…

So… why is it taking so long to comply with these rules? 

For a broader look at all this, we’re going to start the conversation off with Logan Jaffe, newsletter reporter at Pro Publica… she worked on the news organization’s Repatriation Project

And then we turn to Kerri Malloy… assistant professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at San Jose State University… He is an enrolled member of the Yurok tribe and is of Karuk descent…