Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
What is NAGPRA?
On November 16, 1990, congress enacted Public Law 101-601, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The Act’s purpose is to protect Native American burial sites and to regulate the removal of human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony that are located on federal, Native American, and Native Hawaiian lands. The Act provides a process for the return of human remains and cultural items to their descendants and Tribal Nations, makes the trafficking of those items illegal, and sets forth procedures for the control of their excavation.
NAGPRA at UW Oshkosh
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is conducting an ongoing NAGPRA compliance project and is working actively with the 12 Tribal Nations in Wisconsin as well as aboriginal land tribes to return ancestral remains and belongings currently in the possession of the university. UWO is committed to respecting the values and beliefs of Indigenous communities and developing mutually beneficial partnerships. We seek to engage in transparent discussion with Indigenous peoples through the consultation process to address the ethical care and repatriation of ancestral remains and cultural belongings.
NAGPRA Contacts
nagpra@uwosh.edu
Dr. Adrienne Frie, NAGPRA Project Director
Trisha Jenz, NAGPRA Project Manager
Further Information
To review publicly available information on the UW Oshkosh NAGPRA compliance process, please see the National Parks Service NAGPRA program’s databases and notice publications in the Federal Register.