Concerning Repatriation
Native American spirituality is often misinterpreted and misunderstood. Traditional native spiritual beliefs encompassed both the natural and supernatural worlds. These beliefs originated and were grounded in a sense of place—the ancestral realm. Creation stories and explanatory myths were contextualized in the physical features of the natural environment. These traditional beliefs were not transportable to other environments and as tribes were relocated and their land was lost, so too were many aspects of traditional belief. Because of the physical changes that come with development, Native Americans cannot visit “the old country” to better understand past tradition and belief. Our only tangible link to the past is found in the remains of our ancestors and the few remaining material objects they created and used. It is essential, therefore, that tribally specific human remains, artifacts and funerary objects be respected and protected as cultural patrimony.
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