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Harvard University will fund a trip for representatives of Native American tribes to visit the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology to repatriate the remains and burial goods of their ancestors, the university announced this month.
Peabody Museum Director Jane Pickering said the funding will allow Peabody to expedite the return of Native American remains as required by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
“By making this funding available, we hope to make repatriation happen sooner, because all of us, including tribes, share the goal of repatriating our ancestors. ,” Pickering told the Harvard Gazette, a university-run publication.
A 2022 report from the College Committee revealed that Harvard University houses the remains of thousands of Native American ancestors. The university has since promised to speed up the repatriation of those remains, but some Native American advocates say the process is too slow.
In a statement to the Gazette, Joseph P. Ghosn ’92, professor of anthropology and dean of Harvard’s Native American Program, defended Harvard against criticism that it is lagging behind on repatriation.
“Some people have the mistaken impression that the people at Harvard are trying to undermine this deportation process by trick or by trickery. That’s not true,” Peabody College’s said Ghosn, who also serves on the Faculty Executive Committee. “No one at Harvard wants to keep these materials. Everyone wants to see their ancestors go home.”
Peabody wrote on its website that “these funds will ease the burden” of obstacles that stand in the way of tribal leaders who come to Harvard to assist with the repatriation process. Round-trip transportation, accommodation, and meals for up to three nights will be covered.
“From conversations with tribal representatives, removing the hurdle of finding travel funding makes a huge difference,” HUNAP Executive Director Kelly Mosteller told the Gazette.
—Staff writer Annabel M. Yu can be reached at annabel.yu@thecrimson.com.
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