Complex law at root of artifact policy
From
the
Advertiser:Critics
have faulted the Bishop Museum's new stance against giving up much of its
collection under a federal "repatriation" law, but it's still unclear what
recourse, short of a federal lawsuit, they may
have.Museum officials last
week announced the policy by releasing "guidelines" on the Native American
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and posting
them online. The
museum plans to adopt the guidelines in their final form after analyzing
responses from the public that come in by a Sept. 1
deadline....
In the most controversial aspect of its policy, Bishop Museum has asserted that
the museum qualifies under NAGPRA as a "Native Hawaiian organization" that can
make a competing claim like any other group.
Posted: Tue - July 6, 2004 at 12:16 PM