Native American artifacts have remained out of public view but still very much in the hands of some of the nation’s largest museums some six months after institutions closed and covered exhibits in response to new federal regulations. The president of New York City’s American Museum of Natural History says it will be years before two large Native American halls shuttered in January reopen. Some tribal leaders say they’ve yet to hear from the museums. That has led to worry that the new regulations are not having the intended effect of returning thousands of culturally significant items to tribes.
