An Act to Protect Native American Heritage (HD.2963/SD.2542)
This bill would ensure that Native American funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony (those of cultural, traditional or historical importance to their heritage) held in governmental, municipal, or non-profit collections are not sold for profit. Law enforcement efforts to preserve heritage and to deter trafficking of these objects currently rely on Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). NAGPRA currently only applies to publicly funded entities that receive federal funding.
“Tribal cultural heritage belongs to the tribal community of its origin as a whole, and by tribal custom, cannot be alienated from that community by any individual or group without the expressed free, prior, and informed consent of that tribe.”
Testimony of Chairwoman Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) before the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in 2016.