According to the Associated Press, the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation is being accused of violating a law meant to protect the cultural property of American Indian tribes. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has told the Interior Department to investigate if the bureau has violated the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which provides a way for American Indian remains and other cultural property to be returned to tribes out of federal custody. The law was enacted to rectify a history in which American Indian remains and sacred objects were scooped up into museum archives and the hands of government bureaucrats.
A whistleblower reported that the office was not keeping detailed records that would ensure the law functions the way it is supposed to, the AP reports.
The remains and artifacts were collected during the construction of dams and waterways in California, Nevada and Oregon, according to the AP.
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