New Army Plans for Repatriation, Reburial of Native Remains
November 21, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore.—Brig. Gen. William E. Rapp, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, commander of the Northwestern Division, signed two implementation plans on Oct. 31 that streamline the process of reburial of Native American remains and cultural items within the Northwestern Division region. The Corps has tribal trust and treaty responsibilities to the sovereign tribes that reside within its areas of operation.
"We honor our trust responsibilities and will continue to seek common ground and do our utmost to coordinate our activities with the tribes. I am confident these plans will not only speed up the repatriation process, but provide a recognizable and consistent process for all parties," said Brig. Gen. Rapp.
The two plans, "NAGPRA Status and Implementation Plan" and the "Section 208 Status and Implementation Plan," were developed by the Corps in response to concerns expressed by Northwestern tribes about efficiency and consistency of the applications of the repatriation process throughout the Northwestern Division. The plans go into effect immediately.
The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) allows for the disposition and repatriation of Native American human remains and certain cultural items to culturally affiliated Indian tribes. The NAGPRA plan outlines roles and responsibilities and establishes forms to track compliance status.
Section 208 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2000 gives the Corps authority to set aside areas at civil works projects to rebury Native American remains at government expense. The set-aside areas come from Corps project lands and are to be used for reburial of remains that have been rightfully claimed by a lineal descendant or Indian tribe. The plan provides consistent practices for establishing new reburial areas and formalizes those areas which have already been used by the tribes for the burial of human remains.
Brig. Gen. Rapp oversees an annual combined $3.2 billion program of civil works, environmental restoration, and military construction activities in more than a dozen states, primarily within the Columbia and Missouri river basins.
The plans are posted on the Corps' Web site at www.nwd.usace.army.mil. For more information, contact Gary Bunn, Environmental Team Leader for the Corps' Northwestern Division at (503) 808-3863.
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