Releasing the Skeleton in the Closet
Steps had to be taken
The establishment of NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which “prohibits trade, transport, or sale of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and other cultural patrimony and directs federal agencies and museums to take inventory of any Native American… and, if identifiable, the agency or museum is to return them to the tribal descendants,” has brought forward great reform in museums and the world of archaeology that were long overdue (Weaver 16). By facilitating a program to begin conversation and communication between museums and Native american tribes, it has fostered valuable relationships that include ongoing discovery and sharing of knowledge in the context of mutual considerations of respect. Thus it can be said, that despite the obstacles that stood and…show more content… Furthermore, it helped establish that archaeologists and museums have a responsibility and accountability to the people they study, in that they have to carry out their trade in a respectful that generates a suitable compromise between principles central to them and to descendant communities. NAGPRA does not hinder the conduction of archaeological research or preservation of significant historical items in museums, but rather allows collaborative efforts as the two groups can learn a great deal more in the process. In fact a significant number of collections available for physical repatriation have not been removed from the museums (Capone). The act assists in the development of better understanding of what people’s lives and cultural objects mean to Native Americans and allows deeper insights into their understanding of the past while the tribes become introduced to archaeological