b'REPATRIATIONCROSS-BORDER MOVESSouth of the border, repatriation works quite differently. Although the federal law NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) was enacted in 1990, there was another federal law that came first in 1989: the National Museum of the American Indian Act (NMAI Act). Where the NMAI Act only applies to Smithsonian museums, NAGPRA applies to all other institutions in the U.S. that receive federal funding and have collections eligible for repatriation under their categories of claim. After an amendment was made to the NMAI Act in 1996, both laws now mirror each other.Both the NMAI Act and NAGPRA only apply to federally recognized tribes in the U.S. Although the NMAI thus has no legal obligation to work with Indigenous communities outside the U.S., their progressive Repatriation Policy creates a path forward. To date, the NMAI has completed 25 repatriations with Indigenous communities in Canada (including several joint repatriations to coalitions located in both countries) and five repatriations in Latin America. Their five-step repatriation process provides tangible support to help Indigenous communities repatriate items and human remains back to their commun-ities of origin.From the Canadian perspective, it may seem that two federal laws are better than none. But as Swift notes, legislation can be a double-edged sword. The fact that there is no national law in Canada is a good and bad thing. In the U.S., that law has The statement of Good Faith between the Kitgan Zibi Anishinabeg and the Canadian Museum of Civilization concerning the return of human remains to the communityA traditional Prairie Chicken Society Head Dress, left, and Weather Robe, right: both artifacts were recently returned to their historic Siksika community. Photos courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian48Fall/Winter 2022'