The University of North Dakota is set to return over 250 boxes of Native American artifacts to tribal leaders, reported CNN.
Over 250 boxes worth of artifacts from indigenous tribes were discovered in March, but the university has not publicized the findings until now, at the request of tribal leaders.
The university’s move to return the artifacts comes after the University of Tennessee returned over 2,000 native American artifacts to tribal leaders in 2020. The artifacts had been sitting in the university for more than 50 years.
“The number of ancestors we have here on campus can be measured in the dozens,” said UND President Andrew Armacost, “saying the boxes included remains and artifacts, such as headdresses, war bonnets and a ceremonial pipe.”
The University of North Dakota continues to investigate why the artifacts had been kept on campus for so long, and an effort is currently underway to ensure that each artifact is returned to the indigenous tribe it originally came from, according to Armacost.
“Our initial impression is that some of the ancestors and funeral items were taken from sacred burial mounds,” Armacost said. “These excavations took place over the course of decades.”
Nathan Davis of the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission stated that while artifacts are typically taken for academic research, there is no excuse for taking such artifacts without the consent of the tribes.
“Science can no longer be an excuse for preventing our ancestors from returning home,” Davis said.
“We can now feel a sense of relief and hope because our ancestors will be returned to their rightful place, and that’s home. We’ll make sure of that,” said Laine Lyons, a member of the Chippewa Tribe who works in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences.