Notice of Intended Repatriation of Unassociated Funerary Objects – Wilson Museum, Castine, ME

The Wilson Museum (operating as Castine Scientific Society) in Castine, Maine has issued a formal notice under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of its intent to repatriate cultural items in its collection. The items in question are classified as unassociated funerary objects, meaning they are objects believed to have been placed with or near human remains at the time of death but are no longer directly associated with identifiable human remains. NAGPRA requires museums and federal agencies that receive federal funding to inventory Native American cultural items and human remains in their collections, identify cultural affiliations, and offer repatriation to lineal descendants or affiliated Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. This notice is a mandatory step in that legal process. The Wilson Museum has determined that the cultural items share a cultural affiliation with one or more specific Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations named in the full federal register notice. Affiliated parties have the right to formally claim these objects for repatriation. Any federally recognized tribe or organization that believes it has a cultural affiliation with the listed items may submit a claim. This notice initiates a mandatory 30-day public comment and claim period. After that window, if no competing claims are filed, the museum may proceed with the physical transfer of the objects to the affiliated tribe(s) or organization(s).

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