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Clarification of Notices Published in the Federal Register:

NATHPO/Makah Study

On June 30, the NATHPO/Makah study of Federal Agency compliance was completed and posted on the NATHPO website. While there is much useful information in the study, there is a discussion of "withdrawn notices" that may be of concern to all NAGPRA constituents. In fact, the National NAGPRA Program does not withdraw notices. Notices published in the Federal Register reflect the decisions of museums and Federal agencies and establish rights of tribes to request human remains and cultural items. As reported previously to the Review Committee and noted on this page, by 2004 there were approximately 300 drafts submitted to National NAGPRA from 1996-2000, which had not been authorized for publication as a notice by the originating Federal agency or museum. Over the last four years, the National NAGPRA Program notice coordinator has worked with the originators to move the notices to publication or withdraw them and cure any deficiencies in the notice, such as failure to consult with tribes prior to publication. The backlog of old drafts is now less than 40. Many of the withdrawn drafts have returned as published notices of inventory completion, or as dispositions of culturally unidentifiable human remains. The Review Committee was concerned that holding old drafts would give the impression that compliance had been achieved, when only publication of a notice resolves compliance with the law. We hope that any confusion created by the statements in the NATHPO/Makah study have not caused concern with the ongoing NAGPRA process.

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The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a Federal law passed in 1990. NAGPRA provides a process for museums and Federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items -- human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony - to lineal descendants, culturally affiliated Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.

The National NAGPRA program assists the Secretary of the Interior with some of the Secretary's responsibilities under NAGPRA. Among its chief activities, National NAGPRA develops regulations and guidance for implementing NAGPRA; provides administrative and staff support for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Commitee; assists Indian tribes, Native Alaskan villages and corporations, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, and Federal agencies with the NAGPRA process; maintains the Native American Consultation Database (NACD) and other online databases; provides training; manages a grants program; investigates allegations of failure to comply; and makes program documents and publications available on the Web, including the two NAGPRA brochures.

What's New?

Oct. 10, 2008: NAGPRA Training coming to San Diego, CA. Registration has closed. Agenda

September 18, 2008: Group Rate for Sheraton Suites San Diego ends

Oct. 11-12, 2008: Review Committee Meeting in San Diego, CA

Grants Outreach Project, featuring sample grant proposals, online now.

Future Applicability FINAL RULE PDF or Text

Proposed Rule for Disposition of Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains, 43 CFR 10.11, View Comments

FY2008 National NAGPRA Mid-Year report

NACD has moved! Remember to change your bookmarks.

NAGPRA Grants to Tribes and Museums (PDF), an online brochure.

Two consultation resources:
Cultural affiliation and geographic data from published notices, and
Indian Land Cessions 1784-1894 by State and County.

Guidance on alleging that a museum has failed to comply with NAGPRA.

Letter to Potentially Aggrieved Parties Alleging a Museum has failed to comply with the requirements of NAGPRA

The online Culturally Unidentifiable Native American Inventories Database has a Map that shows provenience of human remains.