Hundreds of Native American remains in Louisiana still not returned

Hundreds of Native American remains taken from Louisiana gravesites remain in museums, universities and government collections nearly 35 years after the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, according to reporting by The Advocate.

In 1968, a prison guard looted a Tunica-Biloxi burial site in West Feliciana Parish, discarding the unearthed skeletons into the Mississippi River and keeping artifacts, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Earl Barbry Jr. said. Although the Tunica-Biloxi later won a court case that set precedent for NAGPRA, repatriation has been slowed by lack of funding, inconsistent federal data and reluctance by some institutions to release remains. “It’s a sorrow in that it was taken out of the ground, but relief that it’s come back to be housed here and taken care of and honored,” Barbry said.