In the past decade the repatriation of Native American skeletal remains and funerary objects has become a lightning rod for radically opposing views about cultural patrimony and the relationship between Native communities and archaeologists. In this unprecedented volume, Native Americans and non-Native Americans within and beyond the academic community offer their views on repatriation and the ethical, political, legal, cultural, scholarly, and economic dimensions of this hotly debated issue. While historians and archaeologists debate continuing non-Native interests and obligations, Native American scholars speak to the key cultural issues embedded in their ancestral pasts. A variety of sometimes explosive case studies are considered, ranging from Kennewick Man to the repatriation of Zuni Ahayu:da. Also featured is a detailed discussion of the background, meaning, and applicability of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, as well as the text of the act itself.

Devon Abbott Mihesuah is Professor of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University. She is the author or editor of several works, including Natives and Academics: Researching and Writing about American Indians (Nebraska 1998) and The Roads of My Relations.

"Mihesuah, as editor, has succeeded in assembling a useful overview of the repatriation issue that captures the diversity of views, the emotional intensity that has characterized the debate, and the legal and philosophical conundrums facing those who have struggled to reform the law or who now work to implement the 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)."—Western Historical Society

"This work provides a wide range of viewpoints on the many ethical, legal, and cultural issues that arise when the interests of Native Americans, scientists, and even looters conflict. Particularly useful are the varying perspectives of different Native American groups who do not provide a united front when dealing with issues of repatriation. This enlightening and highly recommended work illuminates many complex issues that are rarely discussed outside of academic circles. . . . [It] should be purchased for large public libraries and all academic collections in the fields of anthropology, history, archaeology, and Native American Studies."—Library Journal

"[A] compact history of a complex and continuing debate."—Museum Anthropology