Anita Cohen-Williams; Reference Services; Hayden Library, wrote: >Ok, now I am confused. From the recent discussion, I assumed that NAGPRA >applies only to material found either on Federal land, or by federally-funded >projects. If this is true, then why is there such a fuss going on? All this fuss is because the above isn't precisely true. NAGPRA applies to all repositories of Native American materials, prehistoric and historic, that receive federal funding either directly or through a granting agency or institution. As a city museum, my institution is subject to NAGPRA because our parent institution, The City of Elmhurst, receives federal monies. The only exceptions to NAGPRA are the Smithsonian (different provisions apply to them) and wholly private collections. NAGPRA requires that summaries of an institutions holdings of "sacred objects," "objects of cultural patrimony," and "unassociated funerary objects" be sent to each tribe which is represented in the collection. State or regional summaries should have been sent to all tribes whose aboriginal or present-day lands are within that state or region. There are currently approximately 325 Indian tribes in the continental US and 500 Alaskan village corporations recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Additionally there are 2 native Hawiian orgainzations and five burial councils. NAGPRA does NOT require that objects be returned to anyone who asks for them. Those MUSEUM-L subscribers who doubt this can contact C. Timothy McKeown, Archaeological Assistance Division, P.O. Box 37127, Washington DC 20012-7172, (202) 343-4101 for detailed information regarding repatriation. Please stop second guessing the law and its provisions. Please read the law for yourselves. Mr. McKeown can provide any interested party with a US Department of Interior memorandum that summarizes the requirements of this law and defines the terms used above. I am certain that Ms. DeArmas feels passionately about her institution's responsibility toward its holdings; I am equally certain that she is wrong about the intent and process of this law. (appologies to Janice Klein whose "Guide to NAGPRA" was excerpted for the above) ______________________________________________________________________ Diane Gutenkauf, Curator Elmhurst Historical Museum 120 E. Park Avenue Elmhurst, IL 60126 USA Voice: +(708) 833-1457 Fax: +(708) 833-1326 Email: [log in to unmask] (Internet) 74547,377 (CompuServe)