Wondering why your local museum closed exhibits about Native people? Why universities and other institutions are digging through their warehouses with fresh eyes?
A three-part series from ICT national correspondent Mary Annette Pember and broadcast producer Stewart Huntington takes a deep look at new rules that went into effect in January under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, known as NAGPRA.
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The new rules are the first get-tough regulations to address collections of human remains and cultural artifacts since NAGPRA was passed more than 30 years ago, and museums and universities are struggling to comply.
Tribal leaders say it’s about time.
Read the entire NAGPRA series from ICT and view the companion stories on the ICT Newscast.
NAGPRA Part 1: A sea change in federal regulations
In the first installment of the three-part series, ICT examines new NAGPRA rules that have left museums across the country in turmoil. Some have shuttered exhibits completely while they figure out the new rules.
View the Day 1 broadcast story on the ICT Newscast
NAGPRA Part 2: ‘A state of Gozhoo’
The repatriation of ancestral remains and sacred artifacts under the new NAGPRA rules will help tribal communities heal from generational trauma. It can also help the rest of the world heal as well, tribal leaders say.
View the Day 2 broadcast story on the ICT Newscast
NAGPRA Part 3: A model for future Indigenous exhibits
For the final installment of the series, ICT visited with museum leaders who have gotten ahead of the new NAGPRA rules by doing the right thing – involving tribes in the discussions years ago over the handling and return of remains and cultural items.
View the Day 3 broadcast story on the ICT Newscast
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