On Thursday, Feb. 5, Danyelle Means from the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture presented the lecture “NAGPRA as a Path to Healing and Reciprocity.” The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) sponsored the event as part of Whitman’s Archaeology Hour Screenings. The AIA branch is based in Walla Walla and hosts various events, from film screenings to public lectures. 

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a US federal law established in 1990. The law asserts that federally funded institutions, such as museums and universities, must return Native American belongings, ancestral remains and other items to the designated tribe. According to Means, NAGPRA exists because Native Nations came together and insisted, argued and worked to insert Native authority.

After the screening, attendee Gordon Venneri was shocked that repatriation of certain items had not begun sooner. 

“I’m a little bit surprised that it hasn’t come up before; I can sort of assume that’s the way it was [before NAGPRA]. I didn’t realize it wasn’t that way,” Venneri said. 

According to Means’s lecture, NAGPRA reimagines the structure and function of museums. In the past, museums have used scientific preservation or presentation to justify acquiring artifacts without consent from their original owners. 

Danyelle Means stressed how the harm done from the possession of Native American artifacts will not end while items are sitting in institutional storage. She emphasized that incomplete records are not neutral. For Means, an unclaimed item does not mean that it is unwanted or forgotten by its original owners. For institutions like museums or even individual collectors, Means explained that ethical responsibility sometimes means letting go. 

During the lecture, Means also shared how archaeological language shapes repatriation efforts through NAGPRA. Means argued that terms like “human remains” objectify and distance viewers from the reality of museum exhibits. Because of this, she finds that consistency, patience and willingness for institutions to change their language are crucial to repatriation. Veneri echoed this emphasis on communication. 

“It’s all a matter of communication and doing what the tribes [want] and involving the tribes,” Venneri said. “Furthering the cause of this, establishing good relationships with tribes and Native Americans.”

Jeanine Gordon, the Special Assistant to the President for Native American Outreach, highlights communication between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation (CTUIR) and Whitman College as essential for understanding history in the Inland Northwest. 

“The NAGPRA work here at Whitman is very meaningful […] because of the rich history that we have [in Walla Walla],” Gordon said. “It’s something to be very proud of.” 

Indigenous peoples have deep roots in Walla Walla and the Pacific Northwest, and some attendees at the lecture emphasized that their knowledge of local history shapes their appreciation for NAGPRA. Lyle Wirtanen, who attended the lecture, described how his own experiences contribute to his care and understanding of NAGPRA. 

“I was a museum director for 13 years, so I’ve had some experience with this, and I was working with the Nez Perce Tribe and worked with them closely. I remember some of the artifacts that we had,” Wirtanen said.

Wirtanen formerly worked at the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum, where he collaborated with tribal administrators. This experience reflects a major point in Means’s lecture—that institutions build relationships with local tribes through their respect for NAGPRA. Gordon also echoed this idea on an individual level, emphasizing that community involvement builds connections between Whitman students and the CTUIR. 

The Pasxapa Advisory Council for CTUIR Collaboration consists of faculty, staff and students who organize education and research projects, as well as course planning and outreach to Native American communities. According to Gordon, the partnership between the college and the CTUIR also discusses topics like the Memorandum of Agreement and NAGPRA in meetings. 

Community members who attended the Archaeology Hour lecture emphasized the importance of building connections between institutions and tribal groups. As this relationship evolves with the help of legislation like NAGPRA, acknowledging past actions and repatriating cultural objects remains crucial.