Cheyenne Bones Returned

The long journey home of several Cheyenne tribe members symbolically ended after more than 100 years last Friday when the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology returned their bones to Cheyenne leaders for interment.

The remains, which date back to 1878, were returned in order to comply with the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which mandates that federally funded museums--such as the Peabody--itemize and offer their Native American possessions to the appropriate tribal owners.

The bones are from 25 Cheyenne tribal members who escaped from a reservation in Oklahoma and died on the way to Montana, the original home of their tribe, according to an article Sunday in The New York Times.

The remains will be buried in Busby, Montana,Saturday with a traditional ceremony to honorCheyenne war dead, The Times said.

These repatriations deal with only a fractionof the Peabody Museum's collection of NativeAmerican artifacts, which is one of the largest inthe world.

Peabody Museum officials could not be reachedfor comment yesterday. Last Columbus Day, however,the museum's Assistant Director Lawrence J. Flynnsaid the Peabody had failed to comply with theNAGPRA to that date because of "complex federalrepatriation laws" and disputes between tribes asto whom the various relics belonged.

Columbus Day 1992 also saw a demonstration byHarvard graduate students protesting the Peabody'spossessions of the Native American relics, led bynow-third-year social anthropology graduatestudent Bernie C. Perley, himself a NativeAmerican.

Perley did not lead a demonstration this yearand said yesterday that his grievances were notagainst the museum but against the federalgovernment.

"The museum officials are sincere aboutreturning [the relics] but are delayed due to alack of federal funds," Perley said. "[Returningthe bones] is a very significant event."

Zuni War Gods

In addition to returning the bones, the PeabodyMuseum also returned a wooden image of the Zuniwar god Ahayu:da to a New Mexican tribe in April1993, according to an article in The Boston GlobeMay 1.

"That was the first item repatriated and it mayset a precedent for future repatriation policies,"Perley said.

"There has been a very hopeful turn of eventsresulting in a greater sense of respecting NativeAmericans and their religions.

The remains will be buried in Busby, Montana,Saturday with a traditional ceremony to honorCheyenne war dead, The Times said.

These repatriations deal with only a fractionof the Peabody Museum's collection of NativeAmerican artifacts, which is one of the largest inthe world.

Peabody Museum officials could not be reachedfor comment yesterday. Last Columbus Day, however,the museum's Assistant Director Lawrence J. Flynnsaid the Peabody had failed to comply with theNAGPRA to that date because of "complex federalrepatriation laws" and disputes between tribes asto whom the various relics belonged.

Columbus Day 1992 also saw a demonstration byHarvard graduate students protesting the Peabody'spossessions of the Native American relics, led bynow-third-year social anthropology graduatestudent Bernie C. Perley, himself a NativeAmerican.

Perley did not lead a demonstration this yearand said yesterday that his grievances were notagainst the museum but against the federalgovernment.

"The museum officials are sincere aboutreturning [the relics] but are delayed due to alack of federal funds," Perley said. "[Returningthe bones] is a very significant event."

Zuni War Gods

In addition to returning the bones, the PeabodyMuseum also returned a wooden image of the Zuniwar god Ahayu:da to a New Mexican tribe in April1993, according to an article in The Boston GlobeMay 1.

"That was the first item repatriated and it mayset a precedent for future repatriation policies,"Perley said.

"There has been a very hopeful turn of eventsresulting in a greater sense of respecting NativeAmericans and their religions.