25 Years of NAGPRA in the National Park Service

Summary

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGRA) became law on November 16, 1990, requiring Federal agencies and museums to repatriate Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to lineal descendants and culturally affiliated Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. During the 25 years since its enactment, the National Park Service (NPS) has been responsible for both implementation of the Act and compliance with the Act. This paper will focus on NPS’ servicewide compliance with NAGPRA over the last 25 years, discussing the evolution of how we respond to NAGPRA issues, and looking at where we go from here. Opportunities arising from, and challenges to, NAGPRA compliance will be addressed and specific projects, activities, and accomplishments will be highlighted.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Preservation, Protection, and Outreach Programs in National Park Service Archaeology

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