NAGPRA in Illinois: Moving Forward after 30 Years

Thirty years after the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the state of Illinois retains nearly fourteen thousand Native American ancestral remains--more than any other state. The complexity of Illinois archaeology prior to European contact has led to archaeologists' reluctance to culturally affiliate archaeological sites and cultures to contemporary Native nations. The effectiveness of Indian removal in the state also contributes to difficulties in associating past peoples with descendant tribes. With this in mind, this paper assesses progress in NAGPRA completion across Illinois institutions over the past 30 years and finds very little further progress after the passage of additional NAGPRA regulations in 2010. It closes by discussing recent forward momentum within Illinois institutions housing Native Ancestors, including recommendations for moving forward in ways that are consultative and collaborative, with the goal of returning the Ancestors to their descendant communities.