Additional Information

Language

English

Source Type

Doctoral Thesis

Notes

ABSTRACT The skeletal remains and cultural materials of indigenous people have for centuries been displaced from their burials by accidental discoveries and intentional excavations. In many instances, individuals have been disinterred without tribal permission and historically became the subject of study, exhibition, and curation. Institutions – including universities – still curate or receive these remains and materials, and anthropologists are responsible for their preservation. It has been essential for the professionals involved in such circumstances to be aware of legislation, such as the United States’ “Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act” (colloquially known as NAGPRA), which dictates the appropriate treatment of these remains. Repatriation legislature like NAGPRA was developed through the collaboration of native rights activists, scientists, and academics who curate these materials, with such laws functioning as a structured compromise between these communities. It has become necessary to identify complications in educating experts who are responsible for implementing NAGPRA and similar laws. This thesis was motivated by the potential of NAGPRA and repatriation in a university context, where training begins. As a current law, NAGPRA served as an example of well-known, successfully integrated academic protocol for accomplishing the repatriation of Native American material. Research methods involved a digital survey of Anthropology and History faculty and students from The Ohio State University, who may be trained in NAGPRA, repatriation, or Native American cultural studies. Figures were supplemented with interviews of faculty members who have interacted or complied with NAGPRA in their professional careers, providing qualitative understanding to corroborate quantitative figures. All questions were designed to identify 1) cohorts and demographics, 2) personal attitudes, interpretations, and reception, and 3) awareness of the law. Through respondent data, this research visualized how personal understanding or experience may affect NAGPRA training and how such comprehension may affect compliance or repatriation trends in an occupational space. Based on cohort trends and testimony, the project indicated no conclusive division between current generations of academic anthropologists in terms of reception or interpretation of NAGPRA and repatriation. Trends and testimony did demonstrate the limitations of ethical training among academic anthropologists. The interpretation of this data was used to project how repatriation and NAGPRA compliance will continue to be enacted by academic professionals if programs emphasize their training in ethics and inclusion of indigenous perspectives.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Appropriate Dissemination of Research
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to Colleagues, Employees, and Students
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
• Integrity of Research Methodology

CIfA Codes

• Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
• Principle 2: Responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment
• Principle 3: Responsibility for acquiring and recording reliable information of the past in archaeological research
• Principle 4: Responsibility for the availability of archaeological results within reasonable dispatch

Keywords & Terms

• Accountability
• Burials and Human Remains
• Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
• Consultation/Partnership with Indigenous Peoples
• Equity and Representation; Discrimination and Harassment
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Indigenous, Tribal, Aboriginal Rights
• Local, State, Federal, and Tribal Laws
• Looting, Collecting, and Illicit Trade of Cultural Property
• Management of Cultural Resources, Heritage, History
• Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
• Repatriation
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Stewardship

Topics & Issues

• Applied Archaeology
• Archaeological Advocacy and Activism
• Collaboration in Archaeology (i.e. Communities, Non-Archaeologists, etc.)
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Community Archaeology and Participatory Research
• Decolonizing Archaeology
• Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Human Remains and Ethical Practice
• Human Rights and Social and Economic Inequalities
• Indigenous Archaeology: Perspectives and Issues
• Legal Issues
• Legislation and Archaeological Preservation
• NAGPRA, Repatriation, and Indigenous Rights
• Politics and Archaeology
• Privilege and Issues of Inclusivity
• Professional Development
• Professionalism and Professional Standards
• Public Archaeology
• Public Engagement, Outreach, and Education