Tribal Consultation, repatriation and compliance with NAGPRA
Throughout its history, MNA has cultivated valuable working relationships with Colorado Plateau Tribes, particularly the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Pai, and Apache Bands. MNA curates cultural objects and records that originate in these communities and on their ancestral lands. These tribal resources are sources of community pride and are available for cultural traditional practitioners and tribal members to study. Because 83 percent of the land in Arizona is managed by state, federal, and tribal agencies, MNA serves as a meeting ground between federal and tribal entities and facilitates consultations and repatriations of human remains and funerary objects.
With passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in 1990 (NAGPRA), the Museum was required to submit summaries of its holdings to affiliated tribes, and did so in 1993. MNA submitted inventories of human remains and associated funerary objects in 1995. Several NAGPRA grants obtained by MNA have resulted in updated summaries (2005), on-site consultation with the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, and Apache Bands (2006), and examination of ecofact collections (non-artifactual samples such as animal bone and plant remains) to identify, remove, and report human remains. As part of on-site NAGPRA consultations, the museum included native perspectives in the construction of the new Easton Collection Center.
For tribal or federal inquiries regarding consultation, visits, or the Museum’s NAGPRA-related collections, contact Elaine Hughes, Collections Director here or call 928-774-5211 extension 228.