This is massively overdue. It’s really just stepping into the 21st century to show respect that previously was sorely lacking towards indigenous peoples. In addition to restrictions on exhibiting, I have heard that there are large archived collections that tribes have historically had trouble accessing and controlling. There has been some progress made recently there, but of course more is better.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Museums across the United States will begin closing or adapting exhibits featuring cultural artifacts from Native American tribes, in response to new regulations from the Biden administration.

The regulations, which went into effect on January 12, require “museums and Federal agencies to consult, collaborate, and, in the case of scientific study or research, obtain consent” from descendants of Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian Organizations, according to the Department of the Interior.

Sean Decatur, president of the museum, told museum staff in a letter obtained by CNN that the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains Halls will be closing because they contain artificats that, under the new regulations, could require consent to exhibit.

“The number of cultural objects on display in these Halls is significant, and because these exhibits are also severely outdated, we have decided that rather than just covering or removing specific items, we will close the Halls,” Decatur wrote in the letter.

He also acknowledged that the Halls and exhibits ”are vestiges of an era when museums such as ours did not respect the values, perspectives, and indeed shared humanity of Indigenous peoples.”

“While the actions we are taking this week may seem sudden, they reflect a growing urgency among all museums to change their relationships to, and representation of, Indigenous cultures.”

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