The Smithsonian has made significant progress on repatriation relative to many other institutions, though significant quantities of material remain in its collections pending repatriation decisions.

The specific investigation that led to the repatriation of Sitting Bull’s hair and leggings to his family in 2007 was conducted under the Smithsonian’s repatriation statute and process.

The investigation found that the objects had been acquired without proper authority — a finding that was not difficult to reach, given the circumstances of their taking in the hours after Sitting Bull’s death.

The repatriation that followed was one among many the Smithsonian has carried out, but it attracted particular attention because of who Sitting Bull was and because of the specific history of how his belongings had come to be in institutional custody.