In coordination with the Tribe’s Cultural Preservation Department, on Friday, March 28, History Colorado repatriated a historic and culturally significant item — a shirt catalogued as E.2005.1 belonging to Chief Severo — back to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.  

“This successful repatriation demonstrates our ongoing dedication to healing historical injustices,” said Southern Ute NAGPRA Technician, Izabella Cloud. “It also underscores the importance of cultural preservation and the role our department plays in supporting the sovereignty and traditions of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.” 

“The shirt had been part of History Colorado’s collections for many years, but its true home was always with the people,” Cloud said. “This was not just the return of an item—it was the return of a story, a legacy, and a piece of living culture. The shirt holds deep spiritual and cultural meaning for the Tribe and represents a tangible connection to our ancestors and tribal history.” 

This repatriation was conducted in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C. 32, a federal law enacted in 1990. NAGPRA provides a legal process for museums and federal agencies to return certain cultural items—such as human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony—to lineal descendants and federally recognized Native American Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. NAGPRA’s implementing regulations are detailed under 43 CFR 10, which establishes the procedures for consultation, notices, and the physical return of such cultural items. It serves as a crucial tool in correcting historical injustices and restoring sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony to their rightful homes. 

Consultations on the repatriation began on Oct. 30, 2024, between History Colorado and the Southern Ute Cultural Preservation Department. 

In addition to the Cultural Preservation Department staff, several other key individuals were involved in the repatriation process – Cultural Preservation Director, Crystal Rizzo; NAGPRA Coordinator, Roshae Weaver; SUCCM Collections Manager, Tallias Cantsee; and Museum Director Trainee, Fabian Martinez helped facilitate this important effort. 

Cultural Preservation has been in contact with the lineal descendants of Chief Severo to respectfully determine whether they would like to be publicly named or remain anonymous in connection with this repatriation. 

According to the policies and procedures, the Cultural Preservation staff submitted a request to the ad hoc Collections Committee for approval of the accession. This repatriation is published in the Federal Register under Doc. No. 2024-28486.