Las resultas (The consequences), Plate 72 of “The Disasters of War”

This print acts as a visual metaphor for the unregulated collecting of Native American culture, an issue that has been addressed by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Taking resources from those already at a disadvantage, the monster drains what little is left and channels it away from the people most in need.On November 16, 1990, the Federal government signed NAGPRA into law. The act establishes a process by which federally recognized Indian tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, and lineal descendants can work with public or private museums that have received Federal funds, to return or repatriation Native American cultural objects, such as human remains, funerary or sacred objects, or cultural patrimony, which are held in the museums’ collections. It also provides guidance for the prevention of and protection against removal of and illegal trafficking in Native American cultural objects, including unidentifiable or unclaimed items. Because NAGPRA is a federal law, the Johnson Museum worked with Cornell’s General Counsel’s office in the 1990s to respond to a campus-wide survey of the University’s collections. We continue to work with the General Counsel’s office to update and comply with these federal regulations. (“This is no Less Curious: Journeys through the Collection” cocurated by Sonja Gandert, Alexandra Palmer, and Alana Ryder and presented at the Johnson Museum January 24 – April 12, 2015)