Alex Barker writes: I
> agree that many folks have set themselves up as experts on NAGPRA, and at
>one level we could debate whether all of them fully understand the law and
>its regulations.
 
There has been an ongoing discussion on Native-L on this same subject that
I have been involved in. I am pretty aware of the regulations and did write
the complying narrative report and have been in contact with the pre-NAGPRA
situation since the Metzger Bill was campaigned against so vigorously by
AAM in a letter-writing campaign that severely damaged native sovereignty
efforts that were ongoing. I am also pretty friendly with some of the folks
in the repatriation office dealing with the Smithsonian NMAI. I don't feel
confused on this issue but my point may have been lost in the writing.
 
There are many native folk and others who have seen NAGPRA as an overall
piece of legislation that requires all museums to return all manner of
objects to native folk. As Alex and I have both stated (though
differently), the law pertains to Federal museums or those receiving
Federal funds. No confusion on that. I would agree that some folks don't
associate Federal sharing programs in municipalities or large Federal
grants with that statement, though it is very present in my mind as my
museum receives a portion of its funding from a city that itself receives
Federal money. I argued Alex's point about mixed funds to my own
administration.  Whether this is a broad or specific strata of museums may
be a matter of interpretation rather than confusion.
 
It is from my discussions with other curators and government people that I
have stated that NAGPRA is a process and I still hold to that. The process
is being worked out and will be ongoing for a while. It is also true that
tribes who wish to be involved in the process do so by their own volition.
I have spoken with tribal members who report their tribal offices receiving
NAGPRA summaries that were unexpected and confusing. If these tribes do not
participate voluntarily there is no enforcement that would dump unwanted
material on them. The Zuni have been reported by Reyna Greene of the
National Museum of American History as refusing to be involved with human
remains. They have stated that their ancestors were buried properly the
first time and that they cannot tell clan associations, etc. from the bone
remains. Their great statement is "We don't want to second guess our
ancestors."
 
Paul Apodaca
Bowers Museum
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