What is NAGPRA?
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1990. This law provides a process for museums and Federal agencies to return Native American human remains and cultural items (funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony) to lineal descendants, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is fully committed to actively pursue the repatriation and disposition of tribal ancestors and cultural items according to both the published regulations and the spirit of the law.
Request information about Inventories or Summaries submitted by UW-Madison or submit a claim for repatriation or disposition.
NAGPRA In the News
NAGPRA legislation has experienced a few updates and changes since the original enactment in 1990. In the fall of 2021, the National NAGPRA Office began efforts to update verbiage and streamline the regulations process to make it easier and more efficient to comply with NAGPRA. Visit their website to see the most current proposed changes.