Repatriation Beyond the Headline

The Sitting Bull repatriation and DNA study sit within a much larger story about the ongoing relationship between museums, scientific institutions, and Native communities across the United States and around the world.

Understanding that context adds important dimensions to what the specific events mean.

The history of museums collecting Native American material — human remains, sacred objects, everyday objects, artistic and ceremonial items — is a history that reflects the power asymmetries of the colonial era.

The institutions that built these collections operated within a framework that treated Native people as subjects of study rather than as communities with rights and authority over their own cultural heritage.