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The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1990 to protect Native American, Alaska Native, and Kānaka Maoli / Native Hawaiian human remains, graves, and human rights (). The law provides institutions and federal agencies a process for returning human remains and certain kinds of cultural items to lineal descendants or culturally affiliated Native American Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations.
In recognition of Tribal sovereignty, the NAGPRA repatriation process is centered on building government-to-government relationships. It requires institutions and federal agencies to consult with lineal descendants, Native American Tribes, and Native Hawaiian Organizations to determine who is affiliated with the ancestors and cultural items in an institution’s custody, and how the ancestors and cultural items should be returned.
NAGPRA at 山
In the past, 山 participated in harmful practices of taking Native American belongings and ancestors. This is a history that we are not proud of, but we accept it as our legacy and our responsibility. 山 is fully committed to returning all of the Native American ancestors and cultural items in our custody in an appropriate and timely manner.
To ensure we reach these goals, 山 now retains a NAGPRA Coordinator to manage all NAGPRA-related affairs. The NAGPRA Coordinator is overseen by the Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies. 山 is also working to establish new policies, procedures, and training to prevent similar harm from happening again.
If you have any questions about 山’s NAGPRA efforts or any formal NAGPRA requests, please send an email to Reno Nims (NAGPRA Coordinator) at nagpra@pdx.edu.
Protecting Cultural Resources During Field Work
To help protect Native American belongings and ancestors in place, Research & Graduate Studies has developed an Inadvertent Discovery Plan. This document outlines what steps university staff should take if there is an unanticipated discovery or disturbance to human remains or cultural resources during construction, field research, or for any other reason.
Human burials and culturally important places and belongings have ongoing importance to living people, communities, and Native American Tribes, who can be directly harmed if their ancestors and heritage are damaged or disturbed. Burials and cultural resources are also protected by state and federal law. If you believe that you have encountered or disturbed any human remains or cultural resources in the course of your work, you should (1) immediately stop all work, (2) protect the find from further disturbance, and (3) notify your manager and 山 NAGPRA Coordinator so the appropriate authorities can be contacted. Following this Inadvertent Discovery Plan will reduce the risk and the liability of unanticipated disturbances.
If any 山 project has any chance of encountering or disturbing human burials or cultural resources, a project manager should fill out the Inadvertent Discovery Plan template and file a copy with 山 NAGPRA Coordinator before the project begins. Depending on the context of the project, a permitting agency may require you to complete additional training and follow their in-house Inadvertent Discovery Plan. All team members on the project should be familiar with the Inadvertent Discovery Plan, and a copy should be kept on site at all times.
For more information and training on Inadvertent Discovery Plans, please send an email to Reno Nims (NAGPRA Coordinator) at nagpra@pdx.edu.