Topic: Repatriation

The passage of federal repatriation laws in 1989 and 1990 mandated that museums return Native American skeletal remains and burial artifacts to tribes. This legislation effectively halted the study of ancient remains in North America, as seen in the eight-year legal battle over the 9,000-year-old Kennewick Man. Most "giant" skeletons previously held by the Smithsonian have since been repatriated or placed in restricted storage.