BROWN BAG SERIES

The Department of Native American Studies’ Brown Bag Lecture Series this quarter has a special focus on NAGPRA-related research, policy and practice. The lectures are scheduled from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays in the Risling Room, 3201 Hart Hall. Megon Noble, project manager for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act at UC Davis, gave the first talk, Oct. 15. Here is the rest of the schedule:

• Oct. 29 — “Archaeo-Legal Landscapes of Identity: Defining ‘Indian’ in a Post-NAGPRA World,” Darren Modzelewski, teaching fellow, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona
• Nov. 5 — “United Auburn Indian Community NAGPRA in Practice,” Marcos Guerrero, cultural resources manager, United Auburn Indian Community, Auburn Rancheria
• Nov. 19 — “Archaeological Approaches to Reconstructing Foodways and Warfare in Central California,” Jelmer Eerkens, professor of anthropology, UC Davis
• Dec. 3 ­— “The Uneasy Remains Film Project and UC Davis: Investigating NAPGRA Implementation and Policies at the University of California,” Cutcha Risling Baldy and Vanessa Esquivido, Ph.D. candidates in Native American studies, UC Davis
• Dec. 10 — “Rethinking Archaeological Practice and Relationships, Past and Present: Lessons from Honduras and Mexico,” Doris Maldonado, UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Native American studies, UC Davis

Since passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, in 1990, museums, universities and other institutions have been working to return human remains and cultural items to Native American tribes.

Noble

UC Davis, which has had a NAGPRA committee since 1992, has stepped up its compliance efforts with the recent hiring of Megon Noble as the university’s first NAGPRA project manager.

“In terms of compliance, UC Davis has done a good job,” said Noble, who previously served as NAGPRA coordinator and archaeology assistant collections manager at the Burke Museum at the University of Washington for 13 years. “We’re going to take a more proactive role, further engage tribes in the consultation process and aim to remove real or perceived barriers.”

She reports to Ralph J. Hexter, provost and executive vice chancellor, and works closely with Sid England, assistant vice chancellor for Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, and staff of the Department of Anthropology Museum. The UC Davis NAGPRA Advisory Committee — comprising faculty and students from various departments, including anthropology and Native American studies; off-campus tribal representatives and campus staff — advises on compliance matters.

“My intent in creating this position is to go beyond the minimum legal reporting requirements and enter a new phase of proactive outreach to the tribal communities,” Hexter said. “UC Davis is fully committed to complying with both the spirit and the letter of the law. It is my hope that UC Davis will become a model for how to comply with NAGPRA in California in a serious, transparent and balanced manner.”

Noble holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history from Tufts University and a master’s degree in museology from the University of Washington. During Noble’s time at the Burke Museum, more than 400 human remains and thousands of funerary objects were repatriated.

The anthropology museum houses the remains of 250 to 300 people and approximately 12,000 associated objects such as beads, buttons, coins, shell pendants, basket fragments and tools from 63 sites, most in the Sacramento Valley. About half the sites date from between 2500 B.C. and A.D. 1500, but the entire range is between 6000 B.C. and the early 20th century.

Most materials were collected as part of excavations by the anthropology department from 1960 to 1987. These were often “salvage excavations” at sites disturbed by natural causes, development and construction. None of the sites were on the UC Davis campus.

Because most of the UC Davis collection is from Central and Northern California, the university may have an easier time making returns compared to institutions with collections from around the United States. The university is consulting with the three federally recognized Patwin tribes regarding the possible return of approximately 65 percent of the remains housed at UC Davis.

“We are in active consultation with several area tribes and meeting regularly to develop a plan for the best way to mutually move forward,” Noble said. “We recognize and respect that each tribe has unique cultural protocols and values. It’s important that we develop a trusting relationship with each tribe to exchange information relevant to the NAGPRA process and understand how the tribes would like to proceed.”

Making returns can be complicated and frequently requires extensive consultation, she said. Recommendations for repatriation move from the UC Davis NAGPRA committee to UC’s systemwide advisory group and then to the UC president for approval. In addition, some tribes lack the resources to travel to receive remains, do not have land for proper reburials or have no-reburial policies, Noble said.

In UC Davis’ most recent repatriations, in 2012, a tribe received the remains of 14 people along with 84 objects. Noble is writing a grant proposal now for the funding of more returns.

The museum houses approximately 350,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects, the majority of which do not fall under NAGPRA. These collections will continue to be accessible to university faculty and students, cultural resources firms, archaeologists, tribal representatives and researchers.

The university will balance the research needs of the university with its legal compliance efforts, Noble said.

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