Repatriation

May 2, 2023

Press Release: May 2, 2023

UND hires NAGPRA compliance liaison for repatriation effort

The University of North Dakota has hired Mary Baker as its Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) compliance liaison to assist with the University’s ongoing repatriation efforts.

Baker comes to UND from the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Tribal Historic Preservation Office in New Town, N.D. Since September 2019, she has worked for the Three Affiliated Tribes on the Fort Berthold Reservation as the NAGPRA officer and cultural resources project manager.

“I am humbled to be able to be of service to our ancestors,” Baker said. “Repatriation work is a duty that should never be taken lightly. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help the relatives return to a place of rest. I hope to gain and absorb as much as I possibly can with this experience.”

NAGPRA, passed by the United States Congress in 1990, provides for the “repatriation of Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony” removed from federal or tribal lands. The act recognizes that ancestral remains must be treated with dignity and respect.

Baker will work from the UND Office of the President and will function as a program manager on the University’s compliance with NAGPRA law, also serving as a primary point of contact for tribal partners.

“We are extremely honored that Mary will be joining our team,” said Laine Lyons, member of UND’s Repatriation Committee and the director of development for the College of Arts & Sciences with the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

“She has been one of the tribal representatives that has been advising us over the past year,” Lyons continued. “She is a compassionate person who is respectful of diverse viewpoints, beliefs and practices. She understands the significance of this work and the responsibility placed on everyone involved. We are grateful for her.”

In August last year, UND President Andrew Armacost announced the discovery of ancestral remains and cultural artifacts on campus that, under federal law, must be returned to their appropriate tribal homes. Prior to that, the University created a repatriation committee and conducted outreach to tribal officials inside and outside North Dakota.

After the public announcement, the University developed a repatriation website, contracted with a Native American-owned management firm and has continued to provide regular updates to tribal representatives and UND’s Indigenous community.

“Getting this important position filled and bringing a person onboard with Mary’s valuable knowledge and experience helps to assure that UND will continue making progress toward returning the ancestors and artifacts currently in its possession,” Armacost said.

“From the beginning, we have stressed the importance of working in partnership with all our tribal communities and their tribal historic preservation officers to communicate and coordinate our repatriation efforts,” he continued. “Mary will play a vital role in maintaining the transparency needed for successful repatriation.”

Baker said she plans to implement cultural protocols in her position at UND.

“The survivors of these ancestors can take comfort in knowing that a tribal member will be taking on this role, ensuring their return by working collaboratively with other tribes,” she said.

Jan. 30, 2023

January 30, 2023

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

Today’s message is intended to provide you with an update about repatriation efforts at UND. Like many, I continue to be impacted by the deep pain UND has caused the members of the Indigenous community. It is vital that we continue to develop relationships with tribal nations and to work with their representatives throughout this process. Their expertise, wisdom, and advice are central to the work happening on campus.

I am proud of the members of our UND Repatriation Committee for their efforts to return the ancestors to their homes. Each day, members of this incredible team are making steady progress toward that goal.

The pace of work has accelerated, but repatriation will take time. We ask for patience as the process continues. Open communication with tribal nations will remain our priority. We also continue to communicate with the federal government’s lead for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

My previous written update was on Nov. 2, 2022 and is posted on this web page. Let me share additional noteworthy developments:

• UND has entered into a contractual agreement with Dirt Divers, a cultural resource management firm that assists organizations with repatriation and NAGPRA compliance. The business is owned by James (“Jim”) Jones, a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe in northern Minnesota. Jim and his team have been assisting with identifying ancestors’ remains, as well as cultural items, for nearly three months. This is an important part of the process in creating the very specific type of inventory required under NAGPRA. It is a necessary step in the legal process that will enable UND to repatriate the ancestors and sacred items.
• Working with Jim and the Dirt Divers team is an osteologist from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. This individual has worked with the team for several years and has participated in hundreds of instances of repatriation while being attached to the Hamline University Center for Anthropological Services (HUCAS).
• The UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences is no longer using human skeletons for student instruction. The SMHS has confirmed they are using plastic skeletons in place of human bones in the classroom. Human bones used previously will be examined by our osteologist to determine ancestry and included in the repatriation process if they are identified as Indigenous ancestors.
• The SMHS Deeded Body program remains in place. The program follows the highest standards for voluntary anatomical donations, which are governed by federal code and implemented under the North Dakota Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. This is an educational resource for faculty, medical students, and residents, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.
• UND has also announced the position of, and is now interviewing for, a NAGPRA Compliance Liaison. When hired, this individual will work from the Office of the President and will function as a program manager on UND’s compliance with NAGPRA law, as well as be a primary point of contact for all our tribal partners. Full details about the position can be found on UND’s Faculty and Staff Job Openings website.
• The search for cultural items or potential ancestors remains a constant focus. That work is ongoing, and any items that have been discovered have been moved to a secure location on campus. Thank you to all campus members who are keeping their eyes open.

Further updates will continue to be posted to the University’s repatriation website, and we will continue to host monthly meetings with Indigenous campus members and alumni. As always, questions about the repatriation process and activities can be sent to UND.inforequest@UND.edu.

Thank you to the entire campus community for your support of repatriation and your understanding of the impact it has on the members of our Indigenous campus community and members of all tribal nations. It is our obligation to continue to demonstrate our respect for their ancestors who have been taken from sacred burial sites.

Sincerely,

Andrew P. Armacost
President
University of North Dakota

Nov. 2, 2022

November 2, 2022

Dear Members of the Campus Community,

On Aug. 31, we made an announcement about the presence on UND’s campus of Indigenous skeletal remains – also known as ancestors – and sacred items. At that time, we offered our sincere apologies that these ancestors and items had not been repatriated under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). We also stated the University’s deep commitment to seeing repatriation efforts through to their conclusion.

The news of our August announcement had a dramatic impact on our Indigenous students, faculty and staff members, as well as many who work closely with them. Many members of our campus are experiencing this pain, and it is important for each of us to understand this impact, as well as our obligation, under federal law, to ensure the ancestors and sacred items are respectfully returned to their tribal nations. The University and I have committed to make this happen. Please also accept my humble apologies for the decisions made by the University and its members that failed to show proper respect to the ancestors.

During the last two weeks, we have provided updates to the Indigenous peoples of the campus and alumni communities and to tribal representatives. Please allow me to share with you what we have shared with them. In August, we believed that the number of ancestors on campus to be in the dozens. Recall that an ancestor could be in the form of a bone fragment, a single bone, or even multiple bones. One purpose for making a public announcement was to raise awareness across campus so that more people would be cognizant of the need to keep their eyes open, as the repatriation team continues its work. Over the last six weeks, we have indeed found additional remains, among them at least one Indigenous ancestor in the care of the School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Additional Indigenous ancestors may be discovered within a collection of human skeletal remains that were used in the teaching of anatomy.

Our Repatriation Committee has been working closely with the School of Medicine & Health Sciences to bring all skeletal remains to our repatriation facility for examination by our consulting team of osteologists. We will ensure all ancestors, whether Indigenous or not, will be afforded the respect that they deserve. And we will continue to update our online repatriation pages with current information about our progress.

As we enter the month of November -- Native American Heritage Month -- this is an opportunity for us to come together as a campus community. We have campus members who are still processing this news. Let me urge each of you to keep looking out for one another, and to make sure we offer respect and dignity to those most deeply impacted. This is also a time to examine the holistic picture of how we support Indigenous peoples on campus through programming, support services, representation and actions that eliminate biases and barriers.

We have much work ahead of us, and the University remains committed to the repatriation of these Indigenous ancestors and the proper care and respect for the non-Indigenous remains. We also remain committed to providing periodic updates on our repatriation efforts to the campus community.

Sincerely,

Andrew P. Armacost
President
University of North Dakota

Aug. 31, 2022

August 31, 2022

Dear Members of the UND Community,

I write this message with a heavy heart. In March, I was approached by a thoughtful team of faculty and staff members who raised a troubling issue. In the course of their work, they found on campus sacred objects from Indigenous communities. They also found human remains, which – in the tradition of tribal nations – are known as ancestors. These are believed to be partial skeletal remains from dozens of individuals. 

First, I sincerely express my apologies and heartfelt regrets that UND has not already repatriated these ancestors and sacred objects as they should have been years ago. Second, I pledge my administration’s full support and commitment to the tribal nations impacted by this mistake. Our primary goal now is to work diligently until all ancestors and sacred objects are returned home, regardless of how long it takes.

Upon learning of this discovery, we reached out immediately to representatives from a half-dozen tribal nations. That number has now grown to thirteen and will continue to expand. We have been collaborating with them and seeking their advice for more than four months to make certain this work is done correctly, and this will continue until completion.

When the federal law known as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was approved in 1990, the University had a responsibility to return ancestors and sacred objects to their tribal lands. Although this effort inexplicably fell short at UND, we are fully committed to righting this wrong. On campus, we have formed a NAGPRA Compliance Committee to work with tribal representatives in guiding our repatriation efforts, explaining cultural protocols, and assisting us in meeting the requirements of state and federal laws.

To conduct this process in a dignified and respectful manner, UND made no public statements during the initial contact phase with tribal authorities and the appropriate state and federal agencies. This decision was made in accordance with the guidance and wishes provided by the tribal representatives. During the early stages of this process, we have observed Indigenous customs and traditions in the handling of the ancestors and sacred objects, to the very best of our abilities.

We have also worked with government agencies to make certain we comply with the law as we undertake the repatriation process. The tribal representatives are leading efforts in their communities to share information about the repatriation work at the appropriate times and locations.

Repatriation will take time and hard work, perhaps several years. UND will hire the appropriate cultural resource consultants to help with this process. The remaining collection at UND is significant, with dozens of ancestors and several hundred containers of objects taken from Indigenous land and communities, requiring painstaking labor for identification and placement.

Coming on the heels of other recent revelations about historic wrongs inflicted on Indigenous people in the United States and Canada, members of our tribal communities in the region will undoubtedly be deeply affected by this news from UND. While I cannot take away their pain, I can apologize on behalf of UND for our mistakes. The tribal communities have my assurance that as a University, we are strongly committed to repatriation.

For those who are impacted by this news, we have resources on campus to support you. Professor Doug McDonald runs our Indians into Psychology Doctoral Education (INPSYDE) program, and he and his team are available with counseling services in support of Native American students, faculty, and staff. They can be reached at 701.777.4495 or 4497. The University Counseling Center also provides great support to students, and you can reach them at 701.777.2127.

Our UND land acknowledgement statement is a symbol of how seriously we – the University community – take issues impacting the Indigenous tribes of the region who call this land their home. Yet, the work of repatriation goes beyond an acknowledgment of the land and requires a true commitment to the Indigenous people who inhabit the land and to their ancestors. I pledge to see this through until all ancestors and sacred artifacts are brought home. As our repatriation efforts proceed, we will work with all involved to share timely information.

Andrew P. Armacost
President
University of North Dakota