Addressing NAGPRA, Contamination, and Policy in Museums

Summary

This is an abstract from the "In Search of Solutions: Exploring Pathways to Repatriation for NAGPRA Practitioners (Part I)" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Under NAGPRA, a museum must inform recipients of repatriation of any known contaminants such as preservatives, pesticides, or other treatments that may present a potential hazard to the persons handling the item. However, NAGPRA does not require museums to test for contaminants, and historically museums did not regularly keep records of treatment. Very little is known about how museums inform about contaminants, or how it affects Native American communities who are waiting to receive ancestors and cultural items. Historical curatorial procedures involved treatment with pesticides made with heavy metals (such as arsenic and mercuric salts) and synthetic pesticides (such as DDT) to prevent biodeterioration or destruction by insects and other pests. Although the use of these contaminants ended by the 1980s, the harmful legacy on human health remains. This paper discusses preliminary results of a rapid policy evaluation on how contemporary museums are approaching the continuing issue of contaminated items, and how policy is developed and implemented to facilitate repatriation in instances where contamination is a concern.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In Search of Solutions: Exploring Pathways to Repatriation for NAGPRA Practitioners (Part I)   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38955.0