The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on Thursday to discuss federal agency compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

NAGPRA became law in 1990. More than 20 years later, some agencies have not complied fully with the law, the Government Accountability Office said.

"After two decades of effort, much works still remains to be done," Anu Mittal of the GAO told the committee.

Tribal leaders said federal agencies are failing in two major areas. They said their oral histories and other evidence aren't being taken into account in repatriation decisions and that they aren't being properly consulted.

Tribal leaders asked the committee to support a fix to NAGPRA to ensure that ancestral remains dating back thousands of years can be repatriated. They said the Obama administration is taking too long to develop a position on the fix.

Get the Story:
Long road home for Indian remains (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/17)

Committee Notice:
OVERSIGHT HEARING on Finding Our Way Home: Achieving the Policy Goals of NAGPRA (June 16, 2011)