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A28 U.S. NEWS
Diaranson 31 Maart 2021

Consumer confidence

surges in March to highest

point in year

rose to 110.0, up from 89.6 in prices, and this could tem-
February. The expectations’ per spending in the months
index, based on consumers ahead.
outlook for income, business Most economists are fore-
and labor market conditions casting strong growth in
six months into the future, coming quarters, powered by
also improved, rising to 109.6 a surge in consumer confi-
in March, up from a reading dence and consumer spend-
of 90.9 in February. ing, which accounts for 70%
Conference Board senior in- of economic activity.
dicators director Lynn Franco “The recovery in consumer
said the significant improve- confidence is set to contin-
ment in the index and its ue in the coming months,
two major components was a buoyed by the combination
good sign for future econom- of improving health condi-
ic growth. tions and wider vaccine dis-
“Consumers’ renewed opti- tribution,” said Lydia Bous-
(AP) — U.S. consumer demic was beginning to hit mism boosted their purchas- sour, lead U.S. economist at
confidence surged in The Conference Board said the United States. The index ing intentions for homes, Oxford Economics. “This
March to the highest read- Tuesday its consumer con- stood at 90.4 in February. autos and several big-ticket should support hearty con-
ing in a year, helped by in- fidence index rose to 109.7 The present situations index, items,” Franco said. But he sumer spending and pave the
creased vaccinations and in March, the best show- based on consumers’ assess- noted that concerns about way for a mini-boom in eco-
more government eco- ing since it stood at 118.8 in ment of current business inflation had also risen, like- nomic activity this spring and
nomic support. March of last year as the pan- and labor market conditions, ly because of rising gasoline summer.”

Years later, Chickasaw remains returning to Mississippi home

(AP) — A man and a “We see the repatriation pro- And that means all of the bad
woman were found bur- cess as an act of love,” said parts, too.”
ied among wolf teeth Amber Hood, Director of The department has worked
and turtle shells. Other Historic Preservation and to create bonds with its 11
graves contained mothers Repatriation for The Chick- tribal partners, not only to
and infants. Some tribal asaw Nation. “These are our repatriate remains but also to
members were laid to rest grandmothers, grandfathers, uplift historically underrep-
with beloved dogs. aunts, uncles and cousins resented voices. A sign above
from long ago.” the door where remains are
Over the last century, the housed in the Department
Mississippi Department of Through the years, enact- of Archives and History
Archives and History has ment of NAGPRA has now reads, “This is a rever-
stored the remains of hun- moved faster in some states ent space. Please respect the
dreds of Native Americans than others. Around 83,000 individuals that are resting
who once inhabited the remains in the U.S. had been here.”
state. Most of the remains returned to descendants as
were found in the Missis- of this fall, according to data nessee Valley Authority as Still, more and more institu- There are still more than
sippi Delta and range from provided to The Associated workers constructed reser- tions are becoming engaged 1,000 remains to be identi-
750 to 1,800 years old. For Press by the National Park voirs. in the repatriation process, fied and returned to tribes in
decades, they sat on shelves Service. But at least another Almost 11,500 remains from Amati said. Mississippi alone.
in the state’s collections. 116,000 ancestors are still Tennessee have now been Many remains in Mississip- The Chickasaw Nation
Now, 403 Chickasaw ances- waiting to be returned. returned to descendants, but pi were discovered by Delta advised MDAH that they
tors have been returned to Anne Amati, NAGPRA co- 21,200 remain in the state. farmers developing land in wished for remains and ob-
their people and will be laid ordinator with the Univer- More than 18,600 in Ala- the 1950s to 1970s. In some jects from their ancestors
in their final resting place on sity of Denver Museum of bama have been returned, instances, shell beads, stone to be transported in muslin
Mississippi soil. Anthropology, said institu- with around 10,650 still in- tools, celts and vessels found bags, which will decompose
tions in southeastern U.S. state. in burial sites in the U.S. in soil when reburied. Vol-
This initiative is the largest house more remains than A survey of institutions by have been put on exhibit in unteers were recruited dur-
of its kind conducted by the anywhere else in the coun- the University of Denver in museums. ing the pandemic shutdown
state of Mississippi since the try. 2019-20 found that obstacles Meg Cook, the MDAH’s to make the bags at home.
passage of the Native Amer- to completing NAGPRA director of archaeology, said
ican Graves Protection and Many dozens of tribes, in- work included funding, time the state had not only a le- “Volunteers knew they were
Repatriation Act, or NAG- cluding the Chickasaw, and incomplete or inaccu- gal responsibility to return helping in some ways to
PRA, three decades ago. Choctaw and Cherokee, rate information in catalog remains, but an ethical one. bring these people home, to
Since 1990, federal law has once lived across millions of records about Native Ameri- Repatriations are now the put them to rest,” Cook said.
required that institutions acres throughout the south- can collections. There’s also main priority for the state’s The state is planning to
like museums and schools eastern U.S. They were forc- some fear among museum archaeology collection. launch a new website —
that receive federal fund- ibly and violently removed professionals, Amati said. NAGPRA.MDAH.ms.gov
ing return human remains, by the U.S. government fol- “I think one of the fears is “We’re doing everything — the week of April 2.
funerary objects and other lowing the Indian Removal that they’ve done something that we can to reconcile the Browsers can peruse inter-
sacred items to their Native Act of the 1830s. wrong,” Amati said. “They past and move forward, in active maps and other re-
American, Alaska Native Following the Great Depres- don’t want to get in trouble, a very transparent way,” she sources documenting the
and Native Hawaiian de- sion, thousands of graves whether it’s with the gov- said. “It’s our responsibility repatriation process in Mis-
scendants. were disrupted by the Ten- ernment or with tribes.” to tell the Mississippi story. sissippi.