But with the committee finally back on track, one of the new members is eager to get to work. Honor Keeler has focused on repatriation issues as an assistant director for Utah Diné Bikéyah, an organization based on the Navajo Nation. “The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee exists because of a dark period in U.S. history when the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples was not obtained, and the graves and funerary objects of their families and ancestors were disturbed and stolen,” Keeler, who is a a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, said on Tuesday. Despite NAGPRA's passage in 1990, burial grounds, ancestral lands and sacred sites continue to face threats. In 2016 alone, Keeler said more than 12 cases of looting and vandalism were reported within the Bears Ears National Monument, whose boundaries in Utah remain the subject of dispute after President Donald Trump dismantled it late last year. “Repatriation is important and difficult work. It involves bringing forward injustice and intergenerational trauma for many tribes," she said. "And for many institutions, the repatriation process causes a deep reflection of institutional history and current practices.”
The NAGPRA Review Committee was established by Congress to address exactly those kinds of issues. The panel consists of tribal officials, spiritual leaders and other experts who monitor and review implementation of the law, which requires federal agencies, museums and other institutions that receive federal funds to inventory their collections and return ancestors and artifacts to tribes and lineal descendants. And when disputes arise with institutions, the NAGPRA Review Committee is often called in to provide guidance. Though its findings are not binding, they can be influential in helping return ancestors and remains to their rightful places. "We are talking about grave robbery and Indigenous people’s ancestors and cultural items that are being taken, have been taken and are still being taken from their appropriate resting places," said Willie Greyeyes, a Navajo citizen who serves as chairman of the board for Utah Diné Bikéyah. "These objects need to come back physically and ceremonially." In addition to Keeler, two other tribal experts are joining the NAGPRA Review Committee. John Beaver is a citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation who previously served as curator for the tribe's cultural center in Oklahoma. Barnaby V. Lewis, a citizen of the Gila River Indian Community, is also on board. He serves as the historic preservation officer for his tribe, which is based in Arizona. Secretary Zinke plans to appoint the seventh member of the NAGPRA Review Committee this summer. Nominations are open until June 4, according to a notice published in the Federal Register. The committee has yet to announce a meeting -- the last one took place in Colorado in March 2017. Another one was supposed to take place in July 2017 but it was was canceled by the Trump administration. Even though the committee was on hold for an extended period of time, the NAGPRA program itself has continued work. Grant award are expected by August and hundreds of repatriation notices have been published in the Federal Register. Federal Register Notice:Honor Keeler, assistant director for UDB, will provide testimony to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 17th Session about protecting #BearsEars National Monument! #StandWithBearsEars #HonorTribes #WeAreIndigenous #UNPFII17 pic.twitter.com/STpLFdtzxz
— Utah Diné Bikéyah (@UtahDineBikeyah) April 19, 2018
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee: Notice of Nomination Solicitation (May 6, 2018) Government Accountability Office Report -- Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: After Almost 20 Years, Key Federal Agencies Still Have Not Fully Complied with the Act:
Summary | Highlights | Full Report Government Accountability Office Report -- Key Federal Agencies' and the Smithsonian Institution's Efforts to Identify and Repatriate Indian Human Remains and Objects:
Highlights | Full Report
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