Dear Confused:
 
I agree that alot of people are confused in that they fail to separate
NAGPRA from other issues involving Tribal sovereignty such as the power
of Tribal governments to zone and tax non-Indian property within the
boundaries of reservations. My concern is that we have individuals
presenting workshops and attempting to write regulations for the
implementation of NAGPRA without having proper understanding of the
meaning of such concepts as cultural patrimony, lineal descent, the
sacred, funerary goods, etc. Likewise, I continue to believe that the
issues of cultural affiliation and Tribal participation/control in the
NAGPRA process have yet to be resolved. I agree with Mr. Apodaca,
however, that NAGPRA represents one more assault by museums,
universities, and others whose business it is to profit from Native
American skeletal and material cultural remains. I believe also that we
should attempt to limit the "land rush" mentality of those who are
attempting to seize control of the NAGPRA process by inappropriate
definitions of the foregoing terms and by establishing themselves as the
only experts capable of determining cultural affiliation and related
issues central to implementation of NAGPRA.
 
Deward E. Walker, Jr.
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