NAGPRA
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)
What is NAGPRA?
On Nov. 16, 1990, Congress enacted Public Law 101-601, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The Act’s purpose is to protect Native American burial sites and to regulate the removal of human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony that are located on federal, Native American, and Native Hawaiian lands. The Act provides a process for the return of human remains and cultural items to their descendants and Tribal Nations, makes the trafficking of those items illegal, and sets forth procedures for the control of their excavation.
NAGPRA at UW River Falls
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is committed to respecting the values and beliefs of Indigenous communities and developing mutually beneficial partnerships. We seek to engage in transparent discussion with Indigenous peoples to address the ethical care and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural belongings.
NAGPRA Contacts
Morgan Paavola, morgan.paavola@uwrf.edu