From the Petoskey News-Review:
The Little Traverse Bay Bands (LTBB) of Odawa Indians, along with 11 other federally recognized tribes and two state recognized tribes in Michigan which form the Michigan Anishnaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA), are currently seeking the return of about 60 Native American remains from the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills.
The remains, which scientists believe belonged to Native Americans who hunted and fished in what is now Oakland County hundreds of years before European arrival, have spent several decades in the back rooms of Cranbrook — unaffiliated with any specific tribe.
According to U.S. law — the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) — requires federally funded institutions such as Cranbrook to return Native American bones that are found with artifacts affiliating them with a specific tribe, if that tribe requests it.
On the other hand, if the bones are unaffiliated, the law does not require their return.
Eric Hemenway, research and repatriation assistant for the LTBB, said, according to federal law, Cranbrook could deny MACPRA these remains, however, they are in full support.
“Cranbrook is in total agreement to return the remains,” he said. “The hardest part in (the repatriation process) is getting the museum to agree with you, and Cranbrook has already done that.”
Michael Stafford, director of Cranbrook, said supporting the tribes in their quest to recover their ancestors was a no brainer for the institute.
“We feel it is the right thing to do — we don’t need the law to tell us that,” he said. “We are a museum and institute which feels very strongly about cultural rights, heritage and history of Native Americans on a global scale. We view remains as people, not research objects.”
Hemenway said, although these remains are unaffiliated, they believe they belonged to one of Anishnaabek’s three bands — Ottawa/Odawa, Ojibway/Chippewa and Potawatomi.
“It’s impossible to ascertain who these remains belong to, but they have been determined to be Native American, they are from Michigan, and based on those facts alone, we believe they are affiliated with Anishnaabek,” he said. “It could be from all of (the bands) or one of them — we believe our best line of evidence is we were here a substantial amount of time before European contact.”
In mid-October MACPRA, along with Cranbrook, will present their case to the NAGPRA review board in San Diego, Calif., to repatriate the bones.
Hemenway said this will be the sixth case in a year-and-a-half that they’ve taken to the NAGPRA review board, and with the five previous being a success, he has no doubts they will recover these remains.
“I feel really confident (the review board) will give us the recommendation, and that this will be a success,” he said.
Hemenway said if the remains are returned, the tribes forming MACPRA will decide as a group where to bury them.
“Once (the case) is in our favor, it’s a formality where (the remains) are buried,” he said.
Hemenway said going through the process of laying their ancestors to rest is a priority for the tribes which form MACPRA.
“It’s a respect issue — we feel we have to take care of our ancestors — it’s our duty to take care of those who’ve gone on before us,” he said. “These are people — women, children, fathers, mothers — and we believe they have a right to a proper burial and not be disturbed.”
Turtle Talk 