Repatriation and Constructs of Identity

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the methodology by which cultural affiliation is determined through the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990. Using a case study of cultural affiliation between the contemporary Haudenosaunee nations and the historic Susquehannock, we explore the applied frameworks and theoretical implications of how identities are constructed in the repatriation process. In particular, first, we provide an analytical approach to consider the legal logic by which anthropology museums can determine cultural affiliation under NAGPRA. Second, we consider why legal constructions of social groups legitimized through NAGPRA broaden anthropological concepts of identity but still are not embraced by scholars and museums. The paper’s goals are thus to provide a foundation to reconsider Susquehannock collections in museums across the United States, make more transparent the means by which cultural affiliation is determined, and advance our understanding of how NAGPRA sh...