Open Forum

Our museum has Native American artifacts on exhibit, and I find no evidence that tribal members were consulted when the exhibit was developed. Although all of the items on display are either beadwork or basketry, those certainly meet the broad definition set by the regulation regarding exhibits. 

I've drafted a letter that I will send to each tribe for whom we have items on display requesting permission to continue displaying items. It's only been reviewed by one of our board members (not an attorney) at this point, but I'm happy to share it if you need a starting point. We happen to have an attorney who is also a member of the Red Lake Nation (one of the tribes impacted) on our board - we are not seeking out legal advice specifically.

I recently removed our collection of Native American arrowheads from our main exhibition. Like Emily stated, the definition is broad so I wanted to play it safe. We were also planning to redo that section anyway so it was good motivation to start. The problem now is identifying the tribes the arrowheads might have belonged to and reaching out. 

Emily, if you could share your letter that would be great. I could definitely using a starting point.

Emily, I am doing the same thing.  I would love to see your letter.   

The Duty of Care provisions (43 CFR part 10.1(d)) in the new NAGPRA regulations apply to Native American human remains and associated funerary objects and cultural items as defined under NAGPRA (sacred objects, objects of cultural patrimony, and unassociated funerary objects). These items are usually identified through consultation with Tribes. NAGPRA requires that museums provide information on collections that may contain NAGPRA cultural items to possibly affiliated Tribes.

There are resources available to help with understanding and implementing the Duty of Care provisions and other aspects of the new regulations that went into effect on January 12, 2024, including a series of webinars hosted by the National NAGPRA Program (https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1335/events.htm). The webinars will be recorded and available to watch if you miss the live event. There are also resources and guidance documents available on the Policy page of the National NAGPRA Program website (https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/policy.htm).

Another resource is the NAGPRA Community of Practice, a group for folks engaged in or interested in NAGPRA implementation to come together and learn from each other. We include people who do NAGPRA work for museums, Tribes, and Federal and state agencies, as well as students and other interested folks. You are welcome to join us for the bi-monthly video calls, join the listserv (Google group), or engage with our other efforts. You can learn more about the group at https://www.nagpracommunityofpractice.com/about or contact me (anne.amati@du.edu) with any questions.

Best,
Anne

At the Minnesota Historical Society we have had Native American Initiatives team since 2014, which plays an important role in building and maintaining relationships with tribal communities in MN. Our local news did a story about our response to the change in NAGPRA regulations. Items currently on display are part of an exhibition called "Our Home" that was curated with and by Native communities, so we believe we are in compliance with the regulations. A question our NAGPRA sub-committee is working on relates to developing a process to approve research requests since we have a large Native American collection. We're not sure how narrowly/broadly to define "research" and are discussing how it impacts our fellows in our Native American Artists In Residence program. 

Our draft letter is attached.  

Neither Emily nor Markie state what the missions of their museums are.  I believe this matters.  Obviously, an historical museum's mission should include its local original peoples' histories and planning participation by Tribes.  It might be of value to ask first, is it appropriate at all for our museum to be displaying these and can we do a good job interpreting them?  I'm retired now, but when I started at my last museum over 20 years ago, many Native American objects were displayed, most with poor or nearly non-existant interpretive or identifying labelling.  The museum had acted in a now nearly notorious negative manner which required legal correction.  While I lament and some might say, blame, the funding sources for not assisting smaller museums to implement projects to correct past methods, there are ways to begin the process.  We called upon the State Archaeologist to advise; we were fortunate to have local recognized Tribes with staffs willing (even eager) to assist; and we worked diligently ourselves, sending a thousand letters to Tribal entities and museums with missions appropriate to interpreting and preserving objects that fall under NAGPRA regs and even those that simply speak of Native American history.

I agree. Summarized, our mission is to collect, preserve, and share the history of our county. Our county was build on Native land and two Native American reservations are in part within our county’s borders. Over 25% of the county’s residents are Native American, as is 33% of our board.