PART OF My story

Reba Dundas

Ms. Farvour

8th Grade Language Arts

22 April 2011

Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation: Honor in Many Ways

Imagine you are a Native American and you were buried and many years later your

burial items and you are dug up. They put you in a museum so other people can learn about your

culture. Some people think that you should still be in your grave, and others say that you should

be in the museum. People say that it is disrespectful to even dig you and your burial items; others

want your body and items so that they can learn. Should your family and tribe take you back and

bury you again or should they leave you at the museum.

The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act helps tribes and lineal

descendents get their tribes precious burial items or their tribe member’s remains back. In this

case some museums have these artifacts and this act allows the tribe or lineal descendents to get

their items back from the museum. The tribe has a choice if they want to let the items be in a

museum to be honored by many different people or if they want to tribute the items back to its

original place. So what would you choose to happen to you?