Illinois creating new cemetery for Native American ancestral remains
The Human Remains Protection Act, which Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed last month, complements a 30-year-old federal law requiring the repatriation of human remains and funerary, sacred and cultural objects that were unearthed in the course of European development of former Indian lands. The bill would streamline the process through which Illinois returns Native American remains and materials to their communities. In part, it would create a procedure in which the Illinois Department of Natural Resources would consult with affiliated tribal nations when returning remains. The bill also approves the construction of a cemetery on the grounds of the Illinois State Museum, in order to facilitate the reburial of ancestral human remains held by the museum.
