NAGPRA
Gift presented to the Peabody Museum from the Maine Tribes in
acknowledgement of repatriation during ceremonial transfer. Sept, 2021.
Gift presented to the Peabody Museum from the Maine Tribes in
acknowledgement of repatriation during ceremonial transfer. Sept, 2021.
NAGPRA requires the Peabody and other museums, in consultation with Tribes, to identify and return Native American human remains, funerary objects, objects of cultural patrimony, and sacred objects. The Peabody has a dedicated staff who work on the implementation of NAGPRA and the ethical and moral imperative it represents.
The Peabody Museum stewards a collection of hair clippings, including clippings from Native American children attending U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, assembled by anthropologist George Edward Woodbury in the 1930s and donated to the museum in 1935. The Peabody will return the hair to lineal descendants and Tribal Nations through NAGPRA.
The museum’s NAGPRA Advisory Committee advises the Peabody Museum Director on issues and decisions in regard to the implementation of NAGPRA, as well as providing counsel to the Peabody Faculty Executive Committee and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The Peabody Museum supports the heritage interests and research goals of Tribal Nations by ensuring that their concerns may be voiced and incorporated into all research activities drawing on museum collections. We encourage scholars and others engaging in research to respect Tribal concerns and guidance and expect consultation with appropriate Tribal Nations to have taken place prior to proceeding with collections-based research projects. To this end, the Peabody Museum has implemented a research policy for NAGPRA collections requiring advance permission from Tribal Nations before research access will be granted.