"Repatriation is unfinished business. It’s something we have a moral obligation to do. It’s not the most critical issue facing ourpeople, but its not an either or. Since there was such a violationagainst our people it needs to be taken care of."
Dr. Gordon Pullar – Woody Island Tribal Council
Commission Members View Collections
The Commission: Formed in 2007, the Kodiak Alutiiq / Sugpiaq Repatriation Commission works to bring ancestral Alutiiq remains and objects home and protect Alutiiq grave sites. Through the Native American Graves Protect and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and with assistance from the Alutiiq Museum, the commission maintains a database of Kodiak Alutiiq collections, conducts collections research, assists with repatriation claims, and sets general repatriation policy for the Kodiak Alutiiq community. Commission members represent Kodiak's tribal organizations and Native corporations.
The Database: The Kodiak Alutiiq / Sugpiaq Materials Database is a list of Alutiiq collections in Amerian museums. Maintained by the Alutiiq Museum for the island-wide repatriation commission, the database facilitates repatriation research. Alutiiq organizations wishing to access the database, or provide information for it, may contact
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(907-486-7004, x24). Production of the database was funded by a grant from the National Park Service NAGPRA program.
Sometimes the biggest advances in
museum work are not what you add to your collection but what you return. The Alutiiq Museum achieved an
important milestone this summer, working with Alutiiq organizations to complete
the first repatriation of human remains from our repository.
Although the Alutiiq Museum does
not collect human remains, we care for a small number of remains turned in by
collectors, law enforcement officers, and land managers. Our goal is to provide respectful care
until members of the Alutiiq community can decided how to proceed. Determining whom to contact, which
Native organizations should take responsibility for a set of remains, and how
the remains will be treated is a complicated process. In addition to the many social, emotional, and logistical
issues surrounding the care of human remains, there are federal laws that
govern how museum and tribal organization can participate in repatriations.
Like all U.S. museums that receive fedral grants, the Alutiiq Museum must notify Native communities of the human remains and repatriateable objects in its care. Working with the National Park Service NAGPRA Program, we published our inventories of these materials in the federal register in 2007. Alutiiq groups wishing to claim any of these materials may contact the Alutiiq Museum for assistance. A sample claim letter appears below.
Federal Register Notices
Below, visitor may download copies of our federal notices describing repatriatable Alutiiq Museum Collections. These
notices are organized generally by geographic region. If you
have a question about a collection, a notice, or the repatriation
process, or your would like to make a repatriation request, please
contact
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(486-7004, x24).
Repatriation 
