Friends of America's Past

NAGPRA

News & Comment


Comments and documents related to the 2010 Final Rule regulations to NAGPRA concerning culturally unidentifiable human remains.

-- Final Rule Federal Register: DOI March 15, 2010. NAGPRA Regulations - Disposition of Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains. This document contains early public comment and the DOI responses. [posted 5/14/10]


Letters sent to the Department of the Interior from Museums, Organizations, and other Public Comments.

-- Letter from two Smithsonian Directors: National Museum of American Indian and the National Musuem of Natural History of May 14, 2010 [posted 5/27/10]

-- Letter from 41 members of the National Academy of Sciences of May 17, 2010 [posted 5/27/10]

-- Ohio Historical Society Letter of May 13, 2010 [posted 5/18/10].

--Testimony of the Society for American Archaeology to House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources of October 7, 2009

--Caring for the dead: Finding a common ground in disputes over Museum Collections of human remains (with permission by the author, Phillip Walker) [posted 5/27/10]

--Altered Meanings: The Department of the Interior's Rewriting of NAGPRA to Regulate Culturally Unidentifiable Human Remains. Conclusion. (with permission by the author, Ryan Seidemann) [posted 5/27/10]

Information related to Department of the Interior's position, which places the interests of Federally recognized tribes above all other interests

-- Native America Calling interview with Dr. Hutt April 7, 2010 [posted 5/18/10]

-- Notes from a NPS Webinar 4/17/10 A copy of the presentation is posted at the NPS website [posted 5/18/10]

-- National Park Service Press Release: March 15, 2010 [posted 5/18/10]


Earlier efforts to give input to the Department of the Interior regulations (ignored)

Proposed Regulations (- 2008): Comments against the proposed regulations to NAGPRA concerning culturally unidentifiable human remains.

--Representative Doc Hastings' (R-WA) letter to the Secretary of the Interior expresses concern that the agency seeks to assume authority and control...not granted by the Congress. [posted 1/15/08 - pdf]

--Ohio Archaeological Council [posted 1/15/08]

--Dr. Tim White Professor of Integrative Biology, Curator of Biological Anthropology, Director, Human Evolution Research Center, The University of California at Berkeley. [posted 1/15/08]

--Society for American Archaeology' Statement [posted 12/04/07]

--American Association of Physical Anthropologists' Statement [posted 11/23/07]

--Seidemann's letter documents facts of the historical intent of NAGPRA, the legal ruling in the Kennewick Man case, and the flaws in the proposed regulations for disposing of culturally unaffiliated remains. [posted 11/21/07]


An article: Conflict between Scholarship and the Repatriationism Movement by attorney James W. Springer, Bradley University, Illinois and Dr. J. Kenneith Smail, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at Kenyon College, Ohio [posted 11/19/07]

Doc Hastings (WA) re-introduces a House of Representatives Bill to clarify NAGPRA and counter the Senate's proposed 'technical correction' [posted 11/8/07]

View the video of Congressman Hastings reintroducing HR 4027 on the House floor by clicking on this link:

-- Hastings' Background
-- Text of HR Bill
-- Questions and Answers

NAGPRA - Department of the Interior posts proposed regulations for disposing of culturally unaffiliated remains. Written comment period ends 1/14/08. PDF format. [Federal Register 10/16/07 posted 10/17/07]

Senate Indian Affairs Committee sneaks amendment to NAGPRA into a technical corrections bill [Posted 10/2/07]

Doc Hastings (WA) introduces a House of Representatives Bill to clarify NAGPRA and counter the Senate's proposed 'technical correction' [posted 8/9/06]


-- Press Release
-- Hastings' Statement
-- Text of HR Bill
-- Questions and Answers
-- NAGPRA and Kennewick Man background

Hoffman Testimony for the Department of the Interior to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on July 28, 2005

Friends of America's Past Testimony to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on July 28, 2005

-- Attorney Bios
-- Ten letters opposing the McCain amendment

Essay and question for Senators [posted 4/12/05]

Action Alert [posted 3/29/05]

Article by Ryan Seideman "What Is the Signficance of "Is"? Another Attempt to Amend NAGPRA [posted 10/25/04]

American Association of Physical Anthropologists Statement [posted 10/12/04]

Center for the Study of the First Americans Alert [posted 10/8/04]

How to help by voicing your concerns to Congress [posted 10/6/04]

SAA statement supporting tribes' amendment [posted 10/6/04]

Amendment to Senate Bill 2843 quietly changes the intent and scope of NAGPRA [posted 9/29/04]

NAGPRA Review Committee to Meet in Seattle [posted 10/27/02]

Will Science Lose More Ground? [posted 05/24/02]

What is a Native American? by Alan Schneider [posted 07/24/01]

Public Comment to the NAGPRA Committee - B. Ewart [posted 06/06/01]

Public Comment to the NAGPRA Committee - Friends of America's Past [posted 06/06/01]

Action Alert - Montana [posted 02/07/01]

More Notes from the Back Seat [posted 07/26/00]

Notes from the Back Seat [posted 06/21/00]

Letter to the NAGPRA Committee [posted 06/20/00]

A Statement of the Ethnic Minority Council of America [posted 04/18/00]

A Response to NPS's Determination [posted 01/19/00]


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