Starting on January 27, the American Museum of Natural History in New York closed two halls featuring Native American objects, citing their severe outdatedness and cultural sensitivity. This move aligns with recently revamped federal regulations regarding the display of Indigenous human remains and cultural items.
In October, the museum had announced its intention to remove all human remains from public display, with the goal of eventually repatriating them to Native American tribes and other rightful owners. Sean Decatur, the museum’s president, explained in a letter to staff that the decision reflects a “growing urgency” among museums to reassess their relationships with tribes and how they exhibit Indigenous cultures. He acknowledged that the closed halls were remnants of an era when museums did not adequately respect the values and perspectives of Indigenous peoples.
This action is part of a broader trend, with other institutions like Chicago’s Field Museum, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and the Cleveland Museum of Art also taking similar steps to comply with the revised regulations released by the U.S. Department of the Interior in December. The changes are associated with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, and they include expanded requirements for consulting with and obtaining tribes’ consent for exhibiting and researching Indigenous artifacts, including human remains and cultural objects.
Native American groups have long criticized institutions for delaying the return of culturally significant items, emphasizing the importance of obtaining consent, particularly in cases where items were taken through violence, theft, and looting.
