The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990 provides the legal framework for the repatriation and disposition of certain Native ancestors (human remains), funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants, Native Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations. The law also requires museums and other institutions that receive federal funding to be in compliance by submitting documentation to the National NAGPRA Program.
In 2021, Fort Ticonderoga received an Institute for Museum and Library Services grant to build and strengthen relationships with the Native Tribes whose homelands include Fort Ticonderoga. Documentation of collections and consultation with federally recognized tribes is currently ongoing and is providing the necessary steps for the repatriation of Indigenous ancestors and their associated funerary belongings as well as sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony.
Published Notices are publically available in the Federal Register through the National Archives and Records Administration. For further information or questions regarding repatriation, consultation, and Fort Ticonderoga’s compliance with NAGPRA, contact [email protected].