Speed Art Museum Returns 24 Native Artifacts to Oklahoma Tribes
The culturally significant objects include a turtle amulet, a Cheyenne cradle board, and a slate of beaded bags.
On August 19, 24 Native American artifacts will return to the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes following a ceremony at the Speed Art Museum in Kentucky. The repatriation marks the museum's first under the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The items, including beaded bags, a turtle amulet, and a cradle board, had been housed at the museum since 1930 as a gift from German-American photographer Frederick Weygold.
In 2023, Speed curators worked with tribal representatives to identify which artifacts were eligible for repatriation. After a site visit, it was determined that 24 out of nearly 100 objects met the criteria. The repatriation process is guided by NAGPRA, which stipulates that items associated with a particular Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian organization must be returned upon request.
Fred Mosqueda, an Arapaho Tribe representative, expressed relief that family members can now see items that belonged to their ancestors. He emphasized the sacred nature of the artifacts, stating that they are not meant to be displayed or monetized but belong to the tribe. One artifact being returned is a sundance rattle, traditionally made of animal leather, bird feathers, and claws, used in rituals across North America. Another item is a Cheyenne cradle board, made by a community of women and used for expecting mothers.
The repatriation process has been strengthened by updates to NAGPRA in 2024, granting tribes more authority and requiring museums to update their inventories of Native objects. This move follows an update in 2023 where the American Museum of Natural History returned the remains of 124 Native people and 90 cultural artifacts.
The repatriation is seen as a positive change, highlighting the importance of returning sacred objects to their rightful owners. The Speed Museum's chief curator, Erika Holmquist-Wall, will moderate a panel discussion on NAGPRA and the repatriation process, featuring Mosqueda, Chester Whiteman, a representative of the Southern Cheyenne Tribe, and Sirene Martin, Sirene Martin, the Speed Museum Assistant Curator and NAGPRA coordinator.
The tribal representatives will then transport the artifacts back to Oklahoma, emphasizing that these items were never intended to be on display or for financial gain.
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