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communities, nor was there ever any question as to whom those finds belonged. Many important
ceremonial objects were either placed in collections at the Ocmulgee National Monument museum or
taken to the Smithsonian for further study. Cultural insensitivity, unfortunately, did not stop with the
seizure of artifacts. As late as the 1960s the Ocmulgee National Monument had human remains on
display, some in Plexiglas-topped pits along the trails.19

The seizure, study, and display of funerary or ceremonial artifacts has long been a point of
contention between Native Americans and the academic community. For centuries the leading school of
thought placed prehistory in the context of a un-claimable past, with no direct connection to modern
life in an area.20 This method of approaching human remains and ceremonial goods does not agree with
many Native American nations' world views concerning their origins, or what is considered sacred.
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriations Act is the newest in a long line of failed or
semi-successful legislative attempt to strike a balance between respecting the wishes of indigenous
communities and the academic study of Native American cultures and their histories. NAGPRA takes
great strides forward in limiting the excavation of burial sites by mandating a consultation with and
consequential consent from all Native groups that can claim cultural affiliation with a site.21 Moreover,
NAGPRA is a great asset in the repatriation of items already in the collections of many museums. Items
that fall under NAGPRA legislation include: human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and
objects of cultural patrimony.22

While NAGPRA has the potential to positively affect the relationship between these two groups,
as well as allow for the return of thousands of sacred items and human remains, this legislation has
some damning limitations that must be overcome. For an artifact to be subject to a Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriations Act request, said artifact must be in the holding of an

19 David, Interview.
20 Niesel, “Better Late Than Never?” 837.
21 National Park Service, “National American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act,” accessed February 18, 2016,

https://www.nps.gov/nagpra/MANDATES/25USC3001etseq.htm
22 National Park Service, “Frequently Asked Questions,” accessed February 20, 2016,

https://www.nps.gov/nagpra/FAQ/INDEX.HTM#Claimants.