Museum to Form Repatriation Group

July 9, 2007

Author: SCOTT CHRISTIANSEN

Source: Kodiak Daily Mirror

http://www.kodiakdailymirror.com/?pid=19&id=4949

The Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak will form a repatriation commission among Natives of the Kodiak Archipelago this year.

Museum director Sven Haakanson Jr. said a local commission is required if Kodiak Natives want to take advantage of the provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a federal law passed in 1990. The act allows Native Americans to claim human remains and other sacred objects from federally funded museums. It also requires museums to inventory and catalog the artifacts and notify tribes as to where artifacts are being kept.

“This project is a significant step in bringing our ancestors and our sacred property home,” Haakanson said. “It will help us work together to care for our heritage, keep our culture alive and continue the community healing that is under way.”