nagpra grant community meeting: section 6 summaries update by lee rains clauss sherwood valley band...
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NAGPRA GRANT COMMUNITY MEETING:
SECTION 6 SUMMARIES UPDATE
BY LEE RAINS CLAUSS
SHERWOOD VALLEY BAND OF POMOFEBRUARY 7 , 2015
T h i s m e e t i n g i s s u p p o r t e d b y a g r a n t f r o m t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f t h e I n t e r i o r ,
N a t i o n a l P a r k S e r v i c e , N a t i o n a l N A G P R A P r o g r a m .
Mato NAGPRAConsultation &
Documentation Grant
WHAT IS NAGPRA?
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001-3013) Regulations—43 CFR Part 10 Passed on November 16, 1990
Two main objectives: Resolve disposition of Native American cultural items and
human remains under the control of Federal agencies and American institutions that receive Federal funding
Resolve ownership and control of cultural items and human remains discovered on Federal or Tribal lands after November 16, 1990
NAGPRA: WHO IS INVOLVED?
Federal agencies (excluding the Smithsonian) who have control of NAGPRA cultural items
American institutions that receive federal funds Museum University or college State agency Local agency
Lineal descendants of the deceasedFederally-recognized Indian tribes (including
Alaska Native Corporations) and Native Hawaiian organizations
NAGPRA: WHAT DOES IT INCLUDE?
Human Remains: physical remains of a Native American These can be considered affiliated or unidentifiable
Funerary Objects: objects placed near individual human remains as part of a death rite or ceremony These can be considered associated or unassociated
Sacred Objects: objects needed for the modern-day practice of traditional Native American religions
Objects of Cultural Patrimony: group-owned objects having ongoing importance to the group
SVBP NAGPRA GRANT: Award & Goals
In August of 2013, the National NAGPRA office awarded SVBP with grant funding for August 2013-August 2015.
The grant is referred to as the Mato NAGPRA Consultation and Documentation Grant or Project
The purpose of the Grant is to increase SVBP’s capacity to consult with museums regarding NAGPRA objects in their collections that are culturally affiliated with the Tribe.
The ultimate, long-term goal will be to facilitate the successful repatriation of SVBP’s ancestors and their funerary objects, as well as sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony, to the Tribe.
SVBP NAGPRA GRANT: Objectives & Activities
Research and Data Collection Documenting, organizing, analyzing, and reporting
upon existing information from Mendocino Country Repatriation Project (MCIRP) files and online databases
Determining the number, nature, location, and legal status of NAGPRA objects potentially culturally affiliated with SVBP and other Northern Pomo, Coast Yuki and Huchnom peoples
Community Outreach and Education Fostering an understanding of NAGPRA within SVBP’s
leadership and Tribal membership Seeking the community’s direction regarding the
prioritization of and culturally-appropriate protocols for future repatriation requests and the possibility for inter-tribal partnerships
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
A thorough review of the Section 5 inventories (human remains and associated funerary objects) that were supplied to the MCIRP and/or SVBP, found in the Notices of Inventory Completion in the online Federal Register, and located in the online databases of the National NAGPRA office revealed:
Culturally Affiliated Remains from Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma counties totaling 327 individuals (MNI=327) 3,010 associated funerary objects
Culturally Unidentifiable Remains from Mendocino, Lake and Sonoma counties totaling 188 individuals (MNI=188) 67 associated funerary objects
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Agencies/Repositories in Possession of Majority of Section 5 Collections from Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties (80% of individuals; 97% of AFO)Agency /Repository MNI AFO
Sonoma State University 186 881
Phoebe Hearst Museum, UC-Berkeley 103 1265
CA Department of Transportation 58 178
San Francisco State University 18 49
CA Department of Parks and Recreation 15 74
Peabody Museum, Harvard University 14 118
UC-Davis 6 419
UC-Los Angeles 8 0
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Section 6 Summaries Collections Includes potential unassociated funerary objects,
sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony Ultimately, it is the Tribe’s purview and responsibility to
delineate which items are UFOs, SOs, and/or OCPs There are no comprehensive national databases for
the Section 6 summaries and no Notices of Summary Completion in the Federal Register
The only record of these collections is in the museum-to-Tribe communications in the MCIRP files and the SVBP NAGPRA files These communications are incomplete—there are many
summaries from 1993-1996 and 2000-2002, but few from other years
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
To date, Section 6 NAGPRA summaries from 110 institutions in 36 states and Washington, D.C. have been reviewed
States with Largest Number of Repositories Reporting Section 6 Collections Potentially Affiliated with SVBPCalifornia (20) Texas (4)
Illinois (9) Washington (4)
Massachusetts (6) Washington, D.C. (3)
New York (6) Connecticut (3)
Indiana (5) Nebraska (3)
Michigan (4) Oklahoma (3)
Minnesota (4) Rhode Island (3)
Ohio (4)
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
The Section 6 Summaries review has revealed that: Collections are typically listed as potentially culturally affiliated
with “Northern Pomo”, “Pomo”, “Northern CA”, “Coastal CA”, “CA General” and “North America” Very few collections or items are attributed to a specific maker,
tribe, or county The few Pomo artists/makers specifically mentioned include:
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
The Section 6 Summaries review also revealed: The vast majority of the potential Section 6 items reported
are BASKETS Number of baskets noted to date: Approximately 1700 -2000 50+ reporting institutions only have baskets in their
possession Other materials listed are often in the categories of:
Hunting and fishing implements (bows, arrows, fish hooks, net sinkers, stone tools, metal tools)
Household tools (pestles, manos, metates, mush paddles) Recreational items (whistles, flutes, gaming objects) Clothing/items of personal adornment (jewelry, hair
ornaments) Regalia, ceremonial, and medicinal objects
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Some institutions have collections of ethnographic objects that often include Pomo-affiliated regalia and ceremonial and/or medicinal objects. These institutions include:
Repository Collection Summary
Grace Hudson Museum, Ukiah, CA Top knots, feather capes, hair ornaments, dance wands, rattles, whistles, pipes, gambling objects, shell and magnesite jewelry, etc.
Phoebe Hearst Museum, University of CA-Berkeley
Headdresses, top knots, capes, dance wands, clappers, rattles, whistles, bracelets, bull roarers, hair and ear ornaments, shell money, necklaces, etc.
Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA 45 ceremonial and medicinal objects; 70 items of dance regalia, 8 gaming pieces, 17 musical instruments
The Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ Headdresses, dance wands, necklaces, hair ornaments, headbands, gaming objects, pipes, etc.
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Some institutions have collections of ethnographic objects that often include Pomo-affiliated regalia and ceremonial and/or medicinal objects. These institutions include:
Repository Collection Summary
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
Capes, headbands, necklaces, pipes, whistles, surgical/medicinal tools, hairpins, headdresses, dance dresses, drilled beads, burned magnesite, wristlets, gaming pieces, dance batons, mouth bows, deer hoof rattle, deer head masks, dance clappers, topknots, war bonnet, ear ornaments, etc.
Oregon State University, Corvallis Necklaces with clamshell, abalone, beads, and/or olivella beads; headbands
Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ Dance regalia, pipes, head ornament
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Some institutions have collections of potential Section 6-based archaeological materials that are considered affiliated with Pomo peoples. These institutions include:
Repository Collection Summary
CA Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection, Sacramento
Artifacts from 90+ sites in Mendocino County, including the material from Three Chop Village and Buldam
CA Academy of Sciences, San Francisco
416 charmstones (or net sinkers) from Laguna de Tola in Sonoma County; necklace, mortar, pestle from Lake Co.
University of California-Davis Warm Springs Dam construction archaeological data recovery (over 50,000+ artifacts)
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
Approx. 8 objects from possible burial context found in Cape Mendocino, CA
RESULTS OF GRANT-BASED RESEARCH
Some institutions have large collections of potential Section 6-based objects that are considered affiliated with Pomo peoples, but for which there are no details. These institutions include: Repository Collection
SummaryTriton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA 2100 ethnographic objects
Southwest Museum, Los Angeles, CA 2000 ethnographic objects
CA Dept. of Parks and Recreation, Sacramento
1300 ethnographic objects consisting of tools, basketry, clothing, regalia, jewelry, etc.
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY 750 objects
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
270 ethnographic objects
American Museum of Natural History, NY, NY
227 ethnographic objects
Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT
62 objects including basketry, tools, weapons, and wampum
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville
58 objects
Clarke Memorial Museum, Eureka, CA 36 objects
MOVING FORWARD: QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY
1. What is SVBP’s aboriginal territory? Do you consider the Tribe to be culturally affiliated with remains and objects from all three counties? Just Mendocino County?
2. What are the types of NAGPRA collections about which you are most concerned? If you had to prioritize repatriation goals, which remains or objects would you like repatriated first? Are there any kinds of objects you would not wish to have
brought back in to the community or your aboriginal territory?
3. Do you have priorities or preferences with regard to which agencies or institutions should be approached first regarding SVBP repatriation requests?
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY, CONT’D
4. There are many Pomo-made baskets in museums around the United States. Are their ways in which the Tribe can determine which baskets are NAGPRA objects and which ones are not?
5. Are there Section 6 objects that you know, based on a written description only, are either sacred objects, objects of cultural patrimony, or unassociated funerary objects?
6. Are there Section 6 objects that require the viewing of photographs or in-person assessment to know whether or not they are sacred objects, objects of cultural patrimony, or unassociated funerary objects?
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY, CONT’D
7. What sorts of guidelines and infrastructure do the Tribe need to have in place before NAGPRA collections are repatriated? A. Would all human remains and funerary objects
always be buried? If so, where? B. How would the community wish to handle
sacred objects? Do they need to be buried or stored in some manner? If stored, where?
C. How would the community wish to handle objects of cultural patrimony? Do they need to be stored in a dance house? Someone’s home? A cultural center?
QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY, CONT’D
8. What is the community’s feeling about joint repatriations? (i.e., Working with other Pomo groups to bring home certain NAGPRA collections.)
9. Do you have any concerns or wish to contest any of the cultural affiliation determinations that have been made by agencies or repositories that I have noted in this presentation?
10. Any other questions or comments about the NAGPRA grant?
THE MATO NAGPRA GRANT-- The Next 5 Months
Continuing research and data entry of Section 6 communications stored in the MCIRP files Collections from approximately another 30-40 repositories need to be
reviewed and entered into the master spreadsheetResearching, organizing and re-housing of the MCIRP
records The Tribe has located two file cabinets full of MCIRP documents at the
Guidiville Rancheria. We are currently retrieving these files, drawer-by-drawer, copying them, and organizing them
Summarizing and conducting quality control for community interviews Each interviewee is being asked to review the typed notes of their
interview and approve of the notes prior to their finalization All interviews are then being summarized to provide insight into
NAGPRA-based questions related to objects of concern, community priorities and future treatment protocols
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