Illinois Grants Tribal Nations Authority Over Ancestral Remains and Reburial

-

 

Image Credit: Pexels


In a historic move, Illinois has enacted groundbreaking legislation that empowers tribal nations to reclaim their ancestral remains and sacred items, marking a significant shift away from state agencies, universities, and museums having control over repatriation decisions.

Empowering Tribal Nations

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker recently signed the Human Remains Protection Act, a law forged through extensive consultations with tribal nations, the Illinois State Museum, and the state Department of Natural Resources over a two-year period. Under this legislation, tribal nations will have the final say in the repatriation process, including deciding when and how ancestral remains and cultural artifacts are returned.

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairperson Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick expressed the significance of this milestone, highlighting how it reflects a commitment to rectify past injustices and pave the way for a future that honors interconnectedness.

State Responsibility for Repatriation

The new law designates it as the state's responsibility to assist in returning ancestral remains, funerary objects, and cultural items to tribal nations. Furthermore, it mandates that the state follow the lead of tribal nations throughout the repatriation process. Additionally, the legislation establishes a Repatriation and Reinterment Fund to aid with the financial aspects of reburial, tribal consultation, and the restoration of burial sites and sacred objects.

Previously, Illinois law did not offer tribal nations a clear path to rebury ancestral remains that had been disinterred, as it deemed most Native American remains to be state property.

Strengthening Protections and Consultations

The Human Remains Protection Act introduces stricter penalties for grave looting and desecration and prohibits profiteering from human remains and funerary items through sale, purchase, or exhibition. Moreover, it mandates that tribal nations be promptly consulted when Indigenous gravesites are inadvertently disturbed, such as during construction projects.

The law comes after years of Indigenous advocacy, investigative reporting by ProPublica on delayed repatriation, and a deep commitment to centering Native voices within Illinois institutions.

Land for Reburial

A significant aspect of the new law is its empowerment of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to allocate and maintain land exclusively for the reburial of repatriated Native American ancestors and their belongings. This provision addresses a long-standing challenge in repatriation efforts—the lack of protected sites for reburial in Illinois.

Ending Public Display of Funerary Items

The legislation also forbids institutions from charging admission to view human remains that are Native American or any items originally buried with them. While the public display of Native American ancestral remains by museums has dwindled since the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in the early 1990s, the display of their funerary items continued.

This law applies to every museum, university, and historical society in the state, extending beyond the 15 institutions in Illinois that have reported their Native American holdings under NAGPRA.

A Turning Point for Illinois

This landmark legislation represents a turning point for Illinois, shifting power from state entities to tribal nations, whose ancestral lands eventually became the state of Illinois. It acknowledges and seeks to rectify the enduring impact of forced removals and the exclusion of tribal nations from governance and decision-making processes.

Illinois is poised to become a model for other states looking to adopt similar laws, fostering trust and collaboration between communities and institutions over time.





I understand Ads can be very intrusive, annoying, and capable of disrupting user's reading experience. So, for this reason I do not wish to run them on my blog. If you enjoy my post and contents and wish for me to continue and keep growing, please support me.

Buy me a Coffee! 🍵
Crypto donation button by NOWPayments

Popular posts from this blog

Robo-Revolt: What if Newly Developed AI Robots Begin to Strike Back?

-
Image
  In a not-so-distant future, our world is on the cusp of a technological revolution unlike any we've ever witnessed. Robotics has evolved to the point where we are on the verge of integrating highly advanced and autonomous robots into our everyday lives. These robots are capable of learning, adapting, and performing tasks with a level of efficiency that was once unimaginable. But with great power comes great responsibility, and as we inch closer to a future where robots are an integral part of our society, a daunting question looms on the horizon: What if these futuristic robots begin to strike back? ©️ video source & credit :  @Corridor The idea of a robot uprising may sound like science fiction, but as we delve deeper into the realm of artificial intelligence and autonomous machines, it becomes increasingly important to consider the potential risks and challenges that come with these advancements. While the scenario of a full-blown "Robo-Revolt" may seem far-fetch
Read more

Tasmania's Cape Grim: An island with the cleanest air on Earth

-
Image
Image credit: Sean Scott Venture off the untamed north-western coast of Tasmania, Australia's island state, and you'll stumble upon a remarkably remote peninsula with a foreboding name: Cape Grim, officially known as Kennaook/Cape Grim. Few travelers make their way to this far-flung region, often referred to as the "Edge of the World." But those who do are rewarded with awe-inspiring cliffs, windswept heaths, and black-sand beaches, a stark contrast to the lush farmland atop the hills. This isolation has preserved Cape Grim's raw beauty and earned it a unique claim to fame – it boasts some of the cleanest air on Earth, as confirmed by the air pollution station perched on the cape. Among the 25 atmospheric stations worldwide, the Cape Grim Baseline Atmospheric Pollution Station (CGBAPS), situated atop the cliffs, was established in 1976. Its purpose is to collect and analyze the composition of this pristine air, untainted by local sources of pollution such as vehic
Read more

Loki Season 2: What to Expect from the God of Mischief’s New Adventures

-
Image
  Photo credit: Marvel Entertainment Loki, the beloved character from the Marvel universe, is making a grand return in his second season on Disney+. The series picks up where we left off, with the mischievous Asgardian snatching the Tesseract during the Avengers: Endgame chaos, only to be nabbed by the enigmatic Time Variance Authority (TVA). The TVA, a time-monitoring organization, recruits Loki to help apprehend a rogue variant of himself - a female Loki named Sylvie. Together, they unravel the TVA's dark secrets, confront the Time-Keepers, and face a formidable entity called He Who Remains. This entity presents them with a choice: take over as guardians of the timeline or eliminate him and plunge the multiverse into chaos.  Photo credit: Culture Crave However, Loki and Sylvie's differing opinions lead to a shocking betrayal, with Sylvie killing He Who Remains, fracturing the timeline into countless realities. Upon returning to the TVA, Loki is greeted with an unsettling surp
Read more