• Cultural items and human remains from Native American ancestors were found on the University of North Dakota campus.
  • The university’s president apologized for the treatment of the remains.
  • The school is working with tribal leaders to return them.

A North Dakota university that found sacred objects from Indigenous communities on campus and partial skeletal remains from dozens of people is working with Native American tribal leaders to return the findings.

Faculty and staff members at the University of North Dakota made the discovery while searching for a missing ceremonial pipe, which has not been located.

Some items and remains were found in a partially secure storage room, where items taken from archaeological digs and were stored.

“None of the ancestors have been found in a closet,” despite previous media reports, said university spokesman David Dodds.

University president Andrew Armacost said in a news release Wednesday that the remains and objects should’ve been returned years ago; the university’s goal now is to return the remains and objects home.

The week of Aug. 8, tribal representatives blessed some of the spaces where ancestors and sacred items were found, Dodds said.

Are poor, Black parents more likely to face charges when kids die in hot cars? One group is trying to find an answer

Missouri school district made headlines for bringing back spanking. But the practice is still legal in over a dozen states.

Legal requirements when sacred objects and remains are found

The university immediately reached out to people from six tribal nations when it found the items and remains, Armacost said, a measure required under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act – NAGPRA – which was approved in 1990.

Under the act, agencies that receive federal funds and knowingly discover Native American human remains or sacred objects must notify the appropriate Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization.