I'm Only Human: A Case Study in the Problems and Progress in Achieving the Intent of NAGPRA

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.

In April 2023, one of the largest and most complex NAGPRA repatriations occurred in the northeastern United States. The Abbott Farm NHL repatriation included major museums, three federally recognized tribes, and the reburial of around 200 ancestors and over 10,000 associated funerary objects. As such, issues surfaced associated with the understanding of artifacts, chronology, context, interpreting the archaeological record, all of which can restrict interpretations of assigning cultural affiliation. Additionally, working with multiple museums, federally recognized tribes, and understanding different state burial laws and reburying across state lines were problems where solutions needed to be quickly sought. This presentation lays out those problems, discusses the solutions, and how to go about them. NAGPRA is a continual process of learning, understanding and growing; it is all about what it is to be human.

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

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38850.0