The NAGPRA Nexus, Institutional Integrity, and the Evolving Role of Archaeological Laboratories
Open accessAbstract
In November 1995, the Laboratory of Archaeology at the University of Georgia submitted inventories and summaries of Indigenous ancestors and funerary objects in its holdings to comply with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). However, after this submission, the Laboratory attempts at consultation with federally recognized descendant Tribal communities who have cultural ties in the state of Georgia were not successful, and NAGPRA-related activities essentially stalled at the Laboratory. Beginning in 2019, the Laboratory's staff recognized a lack of formal NAGPRA policies or standards, which led to a complete reevaluation of the Laboratory's approach to NAGPRA. In essence, it was the Laboratory's renewed engagement with NAGPRA and descendan tribal communities that became the catalyst for change in the Laboratory's philosophy as a curation repository. This shift in thinking set the Laboratory on a path toward building a descendant community–informed institutional integrity (DCIII) level of engagement with consultation and collaborative efforts in all aspects of collections management and archaeological research. In this article, we outline steps that the Laboratory has taken toward implementing meaningful policies and practices created with descendant Tribal communities that both fulfill and extend bounds of NAGPRA compliance.
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- Authors
- Roberts Thompson, A., Thompson, V. D., Garland, C. J., Butler, R. A., deBeaubien, D., Panther, M., Hunt, T., Wendt, L., Fontenot, R., Langley, L., Schenk, K. L., Porter Freeman, M. E., Auerbach, C., & Saunders, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Georgia (US)
- Venue
- Advances in Archaeological Practice
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2023-03-29
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 232-245
- ISSN
- 2326-3768 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4361304717
- Semantic Scholar
- 72c016fc99b2653021e43f55444703ac45912285
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 3
- FWCI
- 18.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Advances in Archaeological Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Indigenous Cultures and History
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Archaeology and Cultural Heritage
- Keywords
- NAGPRA, archaeological laboratory, institutional integrity, curation, repatriation, consultation, collection management, grave goods, collaborative engagement
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