At the , a recently redesigned exhibit details the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks and Indigenous cultures in Ohio.
There鈥檚 scaled images of ancient rock art, models of Ohio鈥檚 environment centuries ago and excavated items used in Native American rituals.
But out of view are over 7,000 human remains from Ohio鈥檚 removed tribes that the possesses 鈥� one of the nation's largest collections of human remains and funerary objects.
Updates to have the Ohio History Connection and tribes on a countdown to identify and decide what to do with those remains.
The nonprofit is the state鈥檚 preservation hub and runs the historical museum. It鈥檚 actively consulting with the 45 tribes tied to the Ohio River Valley to repatriate these remains.
But Chief Glenna Wallace of the said work鈥檚 been slow moving.
鈥淲ithout question, this is a very delicate but crucial conversation and one that is very important to all of us,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淭here is an urgency about it. It has been on the back burner for far too long.鈥�
The urgency Wallace is referring to is due to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, also known as NAGPRA. This law requires federally funded museums to return Native American remains and funerary objects to the tribes from which they were taken.
The law passed in 1990. But the U.S. Department of Interior didn鈥檛 enforce it until . That鈥檚 when it gave institutions five years to at least consult with tribal nations and identify what鈥檚 in their inventories.
鈥淭hese changes to the department's NAGPRA regulations are long overdue and will strengthen our ability to enforce the law and help tribes in the return of ancestors and sacred cultural objects," Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland told .
Ohio History hosted last year鈥檚 Ohio Tribal Nations Conference in October. Most of the week was dedicated to consulting tribes to identify the remains and establish plans for re-burial, Wallace said.
鈥淭he executive director of OHC Megan Wood gave a very emotional and truthful acknowledgment at the Thursday night banquet that Ohio History needs to do better. And this is an area, particularly where they did not know how to proceed, and have now indicated that they will commit to greater resources,鈥� Wallace recounted of the conference.
Stacia Kuceyeski, chief operations officer of Ohio History Connection, said it has three staff members to do the work. It鈥檚 not a process they want to rush, she said.
鈥淲e have a lot of remains to get through,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur NAGPRA staff has to cross-reference what timeframe the (ancestral remains are) from with the geography of where they came from, and then who would have been on that land at that time period.鈥�
Several tribal leaders say it鈥檚 good to finally see progress on returning their remains. But they also find it difficult to navigate these new requirements.
For one, tribal nations and museums foot most of the associated costs.
Federal grants are available for consultation, documentation and repatriation 鈥� but they鈥檙e so competitive, some refer to NAGPRA as an unfunded mandate. There鈥檚 also a on the amount of money institutions and tribes can apply for.
For the , four of the five people dealing with NAGPRA consultations aren鈥檛 paid to do the work, according to the tribe鈥檚 historic preservation officer Logan York.
鈥淲e are now on this timeline to make sure that our ancestors are treated with respect, but we have no more funding to make sure it's done correctly,鈥� York said.
Besides a lack of funding and time, none of the tribes are based within Ohio鈥檚 borders.
The U.S government forcibly removed all Native American tribes from the state by the early 19th century. This has left a footprint for several historic Ohio tribes across the country.
Chief of the Ben Barnes said it has to work within 26 states for NAGPRA consultations, and with only two staff members to do it.
鈥淭here's no single NAGPRA consultation that's typical. Some can take years. Some can take months, some can take weeks. Some collections are overseas. Some are split collections, some of the ancestors were loaned out to another institution,鈥� Barnes said.
Chief Glenna Wallace said each tribe has their own approach to repatriation. But they are all looking for the same outcome.
鈥淲e need to unite those human remains with Mother Earth. Our belief is that that spirit is not at rest, that spirit is not at ease until it goes back to Mother Earth. And that has not happened. And that's what needs to happen,鈥� she said.
Wallace said working to re-inter these remains is a challenge, but it鈥檚 a challenge each tribe is capable of doing.