North Dakota: New bill looks to return human remains to Native American tribes

 STORY:  https://www.kxnet.com/news/new-bill-looks-to-return-human-remains-to-native-american-tribes/

North Dakota House Bill 1603 is asking for $5 million to pay for efforts to return human remains to Native American tribes around the state.  This bill is intended for the state to comply with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

UND president Andy Armacost says the university has already spent over $2 million in the last several years to identify and respectfully return items in UND’s collection to tribes in the state.

“What we now determine to be inappropriate and unethical work, dating back to the very founding of UND, back in the late 1800s, and other institutions in our state are facing the same,” Armacost said. “Some might not even know that NAGPRA awaits them, and there’s work to be done.” 

State lawmakers say right now, some of the remains are in the hands of the State Historical Society, while others are on university campuses in North Dakota.