Stuck in D.C.

I am sitting here in my hotel, waiting to see if this record-setting snowstorm will start to slow down so I can fly home tomorrow. I was here as part of our documentation grant, interviewing staff from National NAGPRA and being interview by other staff at the NPS. The trip was very productive and I am glad the weather held off until last night. The metro is now shut down, road are impassable and the airport is also out of commission. Life on the road with NAGPRA.

Once I do get back home, I have a reburial to perform. Almost all of the claims and dispositions we have out are almost done. A few are in the federal register notice stage and we probably won’t be able to retrieve those items until Spring. When I posted earlier about how travel dictates weather, I didn’t think it would dictate here in D.C. I feel the notice section of our manual will be very helpful and very comprehensive, as will the templates and contacts chapter. It’s exciting to see things take shape and to continue to gather advice from a plethora of sources.

Why NAGPRA is needed

NAGPRA was passed into law in 1990. Before this, Indian remains and sacred items were under very little, if any, legal protection. Indian burial sites were not viewed on par with European or American cemeteries. Many times an Indian burial site as either an oppurtunrity for a pot-hunter/grave robber to make money by selling the remains and associated funerary objects or a chance for archeologist, both professional and amateur to build their careers, and offer their own explanation of the history of the people who occupied North America before 1492. Development also has been a  huge factor in the destruction of ancient burial sites. Not much emphasis was put into respecting these burial grounds. It’s as if these peoples’ last rites didn’t matter and their descendants are non-existent.

On the contrary, the dead do have rights and their descendants are still here. Traditions are still alive in the communities, traditions that require the sacred items alienated from their original homes to be returned. Indians are really a resilient people and this shows in their constant fight to have their dead and beliefs respected. NAGPRA recognizes these rights to both the living and the deceased. For many years Indians have watched as their ancestors have been desecrated and their ceremonies splintered by the taking of their sacred objects. Now, after these many years, Indian people have a legal tool to utilize to have what is sacred returned. NAGPRA was needed because the Indian people are still here, still practicing their old ways and because no matter who you are, you should be respected after you are laid to rest.

Communication

Communication within our department is a key ingredient in production. A good part of the other  morning was spent with my director about a multitude of projects we have in works and what steps are needed to ensure these projects are going forward. Some of the projects are NAGPRA related, some are not. But we discuss what needs to be done and go from there. Usually after these meetings I am sending e-mails out all over and on the phone. My director gives me a great deal of freedom to operate, which also helps.

Yesterday morning I have an interview with an elderly gentleman from our area. He is 91 and grew up in the same place I did, Cross Village, Mi. He has come to different presentations I have given in the past year and he expressed an interest in talking with me more, since we both are from CV. I am finally getting around on taking him up on his offer. He is not a tribal member but it’s no matter, he has a good recollection of our area and the Odawas who once lived there. This older generation is such a valuable source of information and knowledge. They lived in times vastly different than ours and I think it’s important to capture that information.

The writing for our repatriation manual is in full gear. It’s exciting to see the ideas take form on paper and to incorporate other peoples ideas. This manual is a lot of work but the work is enjoyable, which makes it much easier. Plus winter is not letting up on northern Michigan, so if I get snowed in, literally snowed into my house, I can always work from home on writing chapters for our project.

The Work

After digging out my car from the snow bank that used to be my driveway, I finally got to work. Many times the work in NAGPRA is repetitive and tedious, but it has to get done. I keep my list of museums I have to contact, to see where they are at in their own NAGRPA developments. Some times multiple calls are made, sometimes not. Today was spent coordinating for the upcoming dispositions for the next Review Committee meeting. We have one official yes, with several leaning towards yes but need official word from the higher-ups at their institution. So today was spent for the most part on the phone, calling and organizing. The work can not be allowed to stall out, it has to be kept moving forward.

Along with dispositions, a few loose ends were addressed. Requesting inventories is an ongoing task. We are also working on a few exhibits with other institutions for next year. Those projects also need momentum. One of the exhibits is for a historic village at Mackinac, 1880-1914. I think it will be a great educational tool, to show why Odawa people were making the transition from wigwam to log cabin, and many times the story is not a happy one. Honest, accurate interpretation of history is what we aim for, whether in NAGRPA repatriation claims or cultural preservation.

What is Sacred?

Most of the day was spent transcribing an interview with a tribe from Wisconsin. This is part of our documentation grant, a repatriation manual project that is covering tribes from all over the u.s.a. Going back and listening makes me realize just how much tribes across the country have in common when it comes to struggles under NAGPRA. There is some success, but there is also the sense of frustration that more could be done and museums don’t exactly adhere to the same set of guidelines the tribes are forced to. I can’t explain how frustrating it is when a museum says your tribe did not demonstrate clearly enough how a specific item is sacred and therefore the claim is denied.

What Indian people should view as sacred has always been debated. From the first missionaries to the Indian religious Freedom Act of the 20th century, the battle for Indians to have unrestricted beliefs is something that non-native people have been party to. This opposition carries over into NAGRPA, in a huge way. What is sacred is the basis for much of the work in tribal communities. And what is not sacred, as determined by museum staff, directly brings this old confrontation of beliefs systems into the present-day. We as Indian people have the freedom to carry on our beliefs, now it’s time to get the items back that will help in strengthing these beliefs.