Theses and Dissertations
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3797-9139
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Goliath, Jesse R.
Committee Member
Lambert, Shawn P.
Committee Member
Osterholtz, Anna J.
Date of Degree
12-13-2024
Original embargo terms
Complete embargo 2 years
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Applied Anthropology
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures
Abstract
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990 mandates all federally funded institutions with legal control over Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to repatriate those holdings to affiliated descendants. Given the nature of their work, medicolegal institutions are highly likely to meet compliance criteria, but recent research has demonstrated that NAGPRA-awareness in these spaces is very low. This project aims to assess barriers to compliance in medicolegal institutions and, in response, develop best practice guidelines and support materials to assist individuals tasked with NAGPRA in navigating the repatriation process ethically and efficiently. The project also seeks to raise awareness of NAGPRA within the forensic community, highlight its potential utility in addressing forensic public health crises, and position NAGPRA as an opportunity for forensic anthropologists—who are uniquely qualified for this work—to further integrate themselves within medicolegal systems.
Recommended Citation
Hill, Mary Elaine, "The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and medicolegal institutions: Developing best practice guidelines and practical resources to support repatriation" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 6405.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6405
