A handful of Native American artifacts on display at the Shawnee Indian Mission historic site in Fairway have been removed due to new federal rules.
A December 2023 update to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a federal law regarding the protection and return of Indigenous sacred artifacts and human remains, prompted the Kansas State Historical Society to pull or cover up displays at historic sites statewide that it manages or helps maintain.
Nationally, museums, universities and state institutions are covering displays or shutting down entire exhibits as they work to comply with the new stipulations.
What was removed?
The artifacts removed from the Mission include a few pairs of moccasins, a woven bag and a basket.
A cane carved by Shawnee Chief Charles Bluejacket and gifted to a Rev. Charles Boles, and passed down for generations until it was donated to the Mission in 2009, was also removed.
Nikki Klarmann, the state archaeologist at the historical society, told the post the artifacts removed from the Mission site are now at the Kansas State Historical Society.
The recent changes to the 1990 federal law, which took effect in January, require institutions to take an inventory of any Native American human remains, or funerary, sacred, and cultural patrimony objects they have. It also leaves the determination of what objects are sacred, patrimonial or funerary up to tribal nations, rather than the institutions themselves.
Institutions must also receive tribal consent to display Indigenous human remains or artifacts going forward, according to a December press release from the U.S. Department of Interior.
The historical society is working on inventory
- Klarmann told the Post that any item that was used or made by Native Americans in the past has either been covered up or pulled from the society’s sites statewide.
- Once the inventory is complete, Klarmann said the historical society will share it with tribal nations to begin consultations.
- Klarmann said she sees the updated law as a chance to ensure the historical society is “doing this work respectfully.”
- “It’s such a beautiful opportunity to really reevaluate the way that we work with, and talk about and engage with Native American history and make sure that they’re part of the conversation,” Klarmann said.
Some items may return to the Mission
- Klarmann said the historical society believes none of the items necessarily fall under funerary, sacred or patrimonial objects.
- To the historical society’s knowledge, Klarmann said, there has never been any human remains or associated funerary objects on display at the Mission.
- Still, Klarmann said it is up to the tribal nations to make those decisions about whether an item falls under one of the categories.
- Whether items return to the Mission or other state historic sites to be put on display depends on consultations with tribal nations, she said.
- “It’s not up to me to say that an arrow is or is not sacred to someone,” Klarmann said. “I think the beauty of the updated regulations is that it gives that power back to the tribal nations to make those decisions for the objects that might have meaning to them.”
Keep reading: Shawnee Indian Mission’s future again in legislative spotlight
