UNI partnership helps return long-held Meskwaki artifacts

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa —

A recent partnership between the Meskwaki Nation and the University of Northern Iowa has facilitated the return of cultural items to Iowa's only federally recognized tribe, underscoring the significance of preserving indigenous heritage.

The Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum now houses these artifacts, each contributing to the rich history of the Meskwaki people.

Tieranny Keahna, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, explained the process of federally funded institutions reaching out to tribes with ancestral claims.

"Things that we know of the land that they don't know of, just to show that there's something here that maybe you should reach out and try to avoid what you're trying to do with building and such,"