Notice of Intended Repatriation of Cultural Patrimony Objects – Mills College Art Museum, Northeastern University

The Mills College Art Museum, now part of Northeastern University in Oakland, California, has issued a formal notice of intended repatriation under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The notice concerns specific cultural items held in the museum's collection that qualify as 'objects of cultural patrimony' under NAGPRA's legal definitions. The items in question have been determined to share a cultural affiliation with one or more federally recognized Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations identified in the notice. This affiliation determination is a prerequisite under NAGPRA before any repatriation can proceed. The repatriation process requires the institution to publish this notice in the Federal Register, providing affiliated tribes and organizations a formal opportunity to assert their claims. Once the notice period lapses and claims are verified, the museum is obligated to transfer the items to the affiliated Native group(s). This action reflects ongoing federal compliance efforts under NAGPRA, which mandates that museums and federal agencies inventory, consult, and return Native American cultural items and human remains to lineal descendants and culturally affiliated tribes.

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