NAGPRA Applied: Stories from the Field on its 25th Anniversary

November 16, 2015, marked the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The Society for American Archaeology’s (SAA) involvement with NAGPRA precedes the law’s passage. It helped build a coalition of scientific, museum and Native American groups that supported NAGPRA’s enactment and was one of the key organizations involved in drafting this groundbreaking legislation. For more than two decades, tribes, museums and archaeologists have worked together to implement NAGPRA and repatriation is integral to the professional lives of a number of SAA members. This session will look back on SAA’s pivotal role in NAGPRA’s passage and continued involvement in its implementation. SAA members who work in range of settings – academia, government agencies, museums, the private sector, tribal governments - will describe their experiences working with this law, assess its impact after 25 years and contemplate its future.