Native American coalition questions UC Berkeley museum.

THE PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY, at the University of California, Berkeley, has a tong-standing relationship with Native American tribes, particularly with California Indian groups. Possessing the second largest number of human remains of any museum in this country, the Hearst museum recently cataloged its collection of artifacts and sacred objects in compliance with the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and a soon-to-be-implemented state law.

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But when the job was done, university officials merged the NAGPRA unit into existing museum departments--without consulting tribal representatives.

The Native American NAGPRA Coalition, a group consisting of five tribes such as the Kashia Pomo Tribe and the Santa Rosa Rancheria Tachi Yokut Tribe, protest the decision. In a media release, the coalition argues the university accepted a review committee's recommendations to close the unit without including tribal representatives or soliciting the direct input of the unit, which includes three Native Americans.

Interim Museum Director Kent Lightfoot defends the decision, saying it's based on the unit becoming more autonomous and the tack of communication with museum staff. He adds the Hearst Museum is the only museum in the nation to have a self-directed NAGPRA unit; most already have been integrated.

Passed in 1990, NAGPRA requires museums to inventory human remains and objects--sacred, funerary, or of cultural patrimony--in their possession. Federally recognized tribes can visit the collections and claim remains and objects of their ancestors. Lightfoot says a smart percentage of artifacts have been repatriated.

In discussions with tribes, Lighffoot says some appreciate having more input in the process and gave the go ahead, while others maintain a "wait and see" manner to tell if the museum could create a more efficient NAGPRA program.

Lightfoot hopes to strengthen the museum's repatriation program and schedule more tribal visits. He welcomes their guidance on matters such as handling, exhibiting, and storing Native American materials.

Lightfoot says the reorganization will grow and change through feedback from tribal groups. "It's a legacy that has come down over the years. I think it needs more attention ... and I think that this is one way we can do that." Learn more at hearstmuseum.berkele.edu.