Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
The University of Northern Colorado cares for Native American cultural items (belongings) and human remains (ancestors) acquired through purchase, donation, or removal from archaeological sites for research purposes by UNC administrators, faculty, or staff. Most of the belongings and ancestors in UNC’s care were acquired before 1983 but in a few instances they came to UNC more recently after a long period of care elsewhere.
UNC complies with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) by filing summaries of belongings and inventories of ancestors with National NAGPRA and consulting with Native American Tribes to work towards repatriation under the guidelines provided by current federal regulations. Our goal is to engage in ethical consultations and to repatriate all belongings and ancestors subject to NAGPRA criteria.
Out of respect for the consultation process, UNC does not generally publicize our NAGPRA work. Public notices of inventory completion are linked below. Each notice was followed by repatriation and in some cases reburial by consulting tribes.
Inquiries regarding UNC’s NAGPRA work, including requests for consultation, should be addressed to:
NAGPRA
Anthropology Department
University of Northern Colorado
CB 90
501 20th Street
Greeley, CO 80639