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Nov. 27, 2002

SEALASKA HERITAGE TO HOLD SOUTHEAST REPATRIATION CONFERENCE

Sealaska Heritage Institute will sponsor a three-day conference on the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in Juneau next month to help clans repatriate more cultural objects and to shed light on contamination issues. 

“Some cultural objects were exposed to contaminants that are hazardous to human health,” said SHI President Rosita Worl, noting museums often used pesticides to preserve the objects. 

“SHI is bringing together some of the top experts in the field to teach Southeast tribal representatives how to handle objects and minimize health risks,” added Worl, who serves on the NAGPRA Review Committee, a federal advisory panel to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. 

Scott Carrlee helped develop methods to test artifacts for contaminants and was co-author of the 2000 book “Material Characterization Tests for Art and Archeology.” Carrlee, a conservator for the Alaska State Museums, will teach the pesticides portion of the seminar with Dr. Ana-Maria Osorio, a pesticides expert and medical officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. 

The conference also will include:

• An overview of NAGPRA and the process for filing repatriation claims
• An overview of museum inventory lists
• An overview of basic principles of traditional Tlingit property law; and,
• A strategy session to develop a region-wide approach to repatriation

The seminar was funded by a grant from the National Park Service. The grant covers expenses for Southeast tribal representatives but a $50 fee will be charged to other attendees to defray the cost of class materials.

The seminar is scheduled Dec. 5-7 at the Huna Heritage Foundation Conference Hall, 9301 Glacier Hwy. The agenda is available at www.sealaskaheritage.org/agenda.htm.

News Article:
"Repatriation Conference Helps Clans Learn About Bringing Their Past Home"

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