A New Illinois Law Shifts Repatriation and Reburial Power to Tribal Nations

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Friday [August 4, 2023] sweeping reforms that for the first time will give tribal nations — not state agencies, universities or museums — final say over how and when the remains of their ancestors and sacred items are returned to them.

“With the Governor signing these bills into law, Illinois is proving that a government is capable of reflecting on its past injustices and planning for a future that respects and celebrates our interconnectedness,” Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairperson Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick said.

https://www.propublica.org/article/illinois-law-gives-tribal-nations-repatriation-reburial-power