National NAGPRA Review Committee 62nd Meeting
History Colorado was honored to host the 62nd National Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Review Committee meetings on March 15 and 16. The meetings were preceded by a public roundtable and open forum that I organized around the topics of consultation challenges and successes.
Forum and Roundtable March 14.
The Review Committee was established in the 1990 law to perform several important functions. As explained in the law, the committee monitors and reviews the implementation of the inventory and identification process and repatriation activities. It requests information on compliance with the law and makes annual reports to Congress. It hears disputes on factual matters to resolve repatriation issues between American Indian tribes, Alaska Native villages and corporations, and Native Hawaiian organizations with museums and federal agencies. Finally, the committee is an advisory body under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The committee reports to the Secretary of the Interior through the Designated Federal Officer who manages the National NAGPRA Program.
The committee is made up of seven members. Three are nominated by Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations and traditional Native American religious leaders, with at least two of them being traditional religious leaders. Three members are appointed from nominations made by national museum and scientific organizations. One member is appointed from nominations by the other members of the committee. Members serve four-year terms initially and may be reappointed for additional two-year terms. The committee meets at least twice a year, convening in locales around the country in order to make the meetings more accessible.
Sheila Goff, Cassandra Naranjo and Alden Naranjo, March 15.
During the Denver meeting, several federal and state agencies, museums and tribes reported on their implementation activities. About 75 people attended, coming from all over the United States. History Colorado, the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs and Alpine Archaeology hosted a reception the evening of the 15th so the committee members, NAGPRA Program staff and meeting attendees could mingle. That evening, Alden Naranjo, NAGPRA Representative from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, was honored for his decades of service ahead of his retirement at the end of the month.
The NAGPRA Review Committee and the National NAGPRA Program have provided guidance and support to History Colorado and other Denver metro museums, allowing Colorado to be in the forefront of our country’s repatriation activities.