CLEVELAND — A new federal regulation is causing museums nationwide to cover up some of their exhibits.

The regulation forces them to gain consent from tribes before putting Native American cultural items and human remains on displays.

Visitors to the Cleveland Museum of Art will find that some exhibits that are normally on display are being covered up.

Marie Toledo, a member of the Lake Erie Native American Council, said, “If they have ceremonial items or if they have our relatives’ remains, those would be things that tribes need to be made aware that the museum is in possession of them.”

And the Cleveland Museum of Art isn’t alone.

Earlier this month, the federal government updated a decades-old act to require museums that receive federal funding to obtain consent before they can display items that once belonged to Native American tribes or native Hawaiian organizations.

That proactive approach is something Tory Necklace, who is also a member of the Lake Erie Native American Council, appreciates.

“It’s not only just to honor us as a community, and I think it shows the bigger picture of honoring Native Americans as a whole, and that we are seen,” Necklace said.

The provisions require the museums to reach out to the tribe that the objects once belonged to and follow their lead on what to do with them, which could include giving them back.

“They’re just saying, hey, follow the law and return these items, not necessarily return, but you have to contact these tribes and follow what they want to do with their people,” Toledo said.

The Cleveland Museum of Art said it is in the process of reaching out to gain consent and in the meantime will keep those items covered.

“It’s amazing. We’re finally getting some reparation for things that have happened in the past,” Necklace said..