NAGPRA Process
UMass Amherst respects the sovereignty and cultural practices of Native peoples and their associated rights to have their ancestral remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony respectfully returned through the process of repatriation.
UMass is actively engaged in the repatriation of Native American ancestral remains and cultural materials through the implementation of NAGPRA. The law requires that institutions who receive federal funding must document their collections; share information with Native American tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and lineal descendants; and engage in respectful consultation to determine cultural affiliation. NAGPRA allows for a variety of information sources to be used as supporting evidence to determine affiliation, including Indigenous Knowledge, kinship, oral tradition, folklore, geography, archaeological reports, historical records, biological data and linguistics.
Only one line of evidence is needed to determine cultural affiliation. Once a determination is made through consultation, UMass Amherst publishes a Federal Register notice to repatriate ancestors and/or cultural items to lineal descendants or one or more Native groups. If cultural affiliation cannot be determined, ancestral remains and cultural items can be repatriated through the NAGPRA disposition process.
Requests for Consultation
UMass welcomes consultation with tribal representatives and lineal descendants. To request additional information or an in-person or virtual consultation, please ccontact Julie Woods, (woods@umass.edu, 413-545-2702) our UMass Amherst Director of Repatriation/NAGPRA Coordinator.
Visiting UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst is a large public university located in western Massachusetts close to the Connecticut River. The university was founded and built on the unceded homelands of the Pocumtuc Nation on the land of the Norrwutuck community.
Visits to UMass for dialogue, information sharing, traditional care of ancestors, and consultations are welcome. Although UMass is a tobacco-free campus, the university amended the campus tobacco policy to allow for use in the practice of traditional, religious, or cultural activities by Native and non-Native members of the campus community. Please contact the Director of Repatriation in advance of your visit with questions or special requests.