Pathways to Repatriation for NAGPRA Practitioners: Introduction
Open accessAbstract
Three decades after the initial five-year deadline for compliance, federal agencies and museums have once more been called to account for their failure to return Ancestors and cultural items to Tribal Nations under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). In April 2024 more than 70 practitioners collaborated in forums and paper and poster sessions to produce the first ever “Day of NAGPRA” at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans. The overwhelming success of this effort is as clear a barometer as any for the current need in the discipline for more conversation, better resources, increased opportunities, and—above all—the chance at a truly collaborative push for a complete return of all Ancestors and their belongings to their communities. In this article, we set up our thematic issue by introducing readers to the various contributions concerning duty of care, education, and policy implementation inspired and informed by the “Day of NAGPRA.”, ResumenTreinta anos después de su cumplimiento, las agencias federales y los museos han sido nuevamente llamados a rendir cuentas por no haber devuelto los antepasados y objetos culturales de sus colecciones a las Naciones Tribales, de acuerdo con la Ley de Protección y Repatriación de Tumbas de Nativos Americanos de 1990 (NAGPRA, por sus siglas en inglés). En abril de 2024, más de 70 profesionales colaboraron en foros y sesiones de ponencias y pósteres para organizar el primer “Día de la ley NAGPRA” durante la octogésima novena Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Arqueología Americana (SAA por sus siglas inglés) en New Orleans. El rotundo éxito de esta iniciativa es un claro indicador de la necesidad actual en nuestra disciplina para más diálogo, mejores recursos, más oportunidades y, sobre todo, la posibilidad de un esfuerzo verdaderamente colaborativo para la completa devolución de todos los antepasados y sus pertenencias a las comunidades donde pertenecen. En este artículo presentamos nuestra sección temática mostrando a los lectores las diversas contribuciones sobre el deber de cuidar, educar e implementar políticas inspiradas e informadas por el “Día de la ley NAGPRA”.
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Cites
NAGPRA at 30: The Effects of Repatriation
Nash, S. E., & Colwell, C. (2020) · Annual Review of Anthropology · doi:10.1146/annurev-anthro-010220-075435 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
A Checklist for Sustainable Management of Archaeological Collections
Childs, S., & Benden, D. M. (2017) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2016.4 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
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The NAGPRA Nexus, Institutional Integrity, and the Evolving Role of Archaeological Laboratories
Roberts Thompson, A., Thompson, V. D., Garland, C. J., Butler, R. A., deBeaubien, D., Panther, M., Hunt, T., Wendt, L., Fontenot, R., Langley, L., et al. (2023) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2022.43 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Creating a new future: Redeveloping the tribal-museum relationship in the time of NAGPRA
Teeter, W. G., Martinez, D., & Lippert, D. (2021) · International Journal of Cultural Property · doi:10.1017/s0940739121000242 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Collections Care Informed by Native American Perspectives: Teaching the Next Generation
Shannon, J. (2017) · Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals · doi:10.1177/155019061701303-402 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Collaborating Beyond Collections: Engaging Tribes in Museum Exhibits
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In the Smaller Scope of Conscience: The Struggle for National Repatriation Legislation, 1986-1990
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Reconsidering Institutional Research Policies on Indigenous Collections
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NAGPRA in Archaeological Practice: Implementing Duty of Care
Haas, J. R., Morgan, B., Lofaro, E., Thomas, J.-L., O’Donnell, S., Schreiner, N. M., & Panther, M. (2025) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2025.14 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationBuilding a Foundation: A Retrospective on NAGPRA Collections Compliance 1990–1995
Sieg, L., & Neller, A. (2025) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2025.10097 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Addressing Split Collections in NAGPRA Compliance
Haas, J. R., Garstki, K., & Frie, A. C. (2025) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2025.13 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Navigating the Challenges and Possibilities of Student Labor in NAGPRA Compliance
LeBlanc, M. E., & Schreiner, N. M. (2025) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2025.10099 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Emerging Uses of 3D Technologies in the Practice of Repatriation and Revitalization
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Self-citationA Granular Analysis of Public Comments to the 2022 Proposed NAGPRA Revisions
Guthrie, E. (2025) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2025.12 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Considering NAGPRA When Crafting a Digitization Policy or Protocol
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Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 5
- Tsosie, 2012, NAGPRA and the Problem of “Culturally Unidentifiable” Remains: The Argument for a Human Rights Framework, Arizona State Law Journal, 44, 809
- Trope, 1992, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Background and Legislative History, Arizona State Law Journal, 24, 35
- Yellow Bird, 2012, NAGPRA at Twenty: A Report Card, Arizona State Law Journal, 44, 921
- Fine-Dare, 2002, Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA
- Lambert, 2019, Thirty Years Later: Recommendations for Museum Compliance with NAGPRA and Utah State Laws, Utah Archaeology, 32, 115
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Andrews, A. B., & Barney, T. S. (2026) · Museum Anthropology · doi:10.1111/muan.70034
Guiding the Next Generation of NAGPRA Practitioners: Formalizing Undergraduate NAGPRA Education
Caseldine, C. R., Rothwell, J. E., Blaszynski, B. O., Dahlstedt, A. C., Tappan, K. K., Vega, Z., Hartman, S., Wilhelm, K. E., & Deer, M. (2026) · Advances in Archaeological Practice · doi:10.1017/aap.2026.10149
Philosophically Aligned, Operationally Fractured: Duty-Of-Care In NAGPRA Practice
Ensign, M. (2026) · ScholarWorks (Central Washington University)
- Authors
- Yann, J., Domeischel, J., Roberts Thompson, A., & Schreiner, N. M.
- Affiliations
- Michigan State University (US)
- United States Army Corps of Engineers (US)
- University of Georgia
- University of South Carolina (US)
- Corresponding author
- Yann, Jessica
- Venue
- Advances in Archaeological Practice
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2025-08
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 357-363
- ISSN
- 2326-3768 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W7106851473
- Semantic Scholar
- 1624fc2343e67de322ddc76811851c6da338ca53
- Cited by
- 2
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2
- FWCI
- 4.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Advances in Archaeological Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Indigenous Cultures and History
- Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Cultural Identity and Heritage
- Social Sciences › Law › Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Law
- Keywords
- NAGPRA, repatriation, ancestral remains, cultural property, tribal nations, museums, federal agencies, duty of care, policy implementation
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