Museum one of 16 institutions to receive National Park Service grant for the return of cultural objects to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.

DENVER―Aug. 3―The National Park Service awarded $90,000 to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as part of $1.5 million in repatriation and consultation grants from the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Program. The Museum was one of 16 museums to receive awards to assist in the identification, documentation and return of ancestral remains and cultural objects in museum collections to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.

“This is a cornerstone project that will allow the Museum to continue its efforts to return sacred items from our collections needed by the communities they originated from,” said Dr. Chip Colwell, curator of anthropology at the Museum.

“These grants address the basic desire to have stewardship over one’s own heritage,” said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the National Park Service. “The NAGRPA process provides the opportunity for ancestral remains and cultural items to be returned to American Indian and Native Hawaiian peoples.”

Enacted in 1990, NAGPRA requires museums and federal agencies to inventory and identify Native American human remains and cultural objects in their collections, and to consult with Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and Native Hawaiian organizations regarding repatriation. Section 10 of the Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants to assist in implementing provisions of the Act.

About the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is the Rocky Mountain Region’s leading resource for informal science education. Our mission is to be catalyst and ignite the community’s passion for nature and science. The Museum envisions an empowered community that loves, understands, and protects our natural world. As such, a variety of engaging exhibits, discussions and activities help Museum visitors celebrate and understand the wonders of Colorado, Earth, and the universe. The Museum is located at 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80205. To learn more about the Museum, visit dmns.org, or call 303-370-6000. Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. Connect with the Museum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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