Discuss, Debate, Delay: How Museums Filibuster the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Museums and federal agencies regularly circumvent requirements of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The 2024 NAGPRA regulation updates closed some loopholes, but institutions continue to filibuster the NAGPRA process through both intention and ignorance. Instead of working toward repatriation, academics continue to theorize and write about NAGPRA. Additionally, museums and federal agencies fail to understand the definition and intentions of consultation and repatriation. Consultation initiation should occur intentionally, and all NAGPRA professionals should recognize that repatriation is about possession or control as opposed to custody. By accurately adhering to the NAGPRA process, NAGPRA practitioners may better serve Native peoples.
Source: Museum Anthropology
DOI: 10.1111/muan.70034
Authors: Audrey Briana Andrews, Tanner Scot Barney
Institution: University of Nevada, Reno
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7129258357