I was struck by the same issue.  Seems to me that NAGPRA is pretty issue-specific, while ARPA has a MUCH broader context, so what Laurie says about historic Euroamerican sites can, in some ways, be true of many Native sites, historic and prehistoric.  The conspiratorially-minded among us might see this as reflecting a world-view shift in which anything that comes from a Native site falls in a "sacred" catagory and should, therefore, be repatriated (this might play into post-processual "narratives," which, in turn, might play into territoriality and ownership of those narratives and the past on which they are constructed . . .).  Thereafter, some conspiratorially-minded folks might see this as ignoring, intentionally or otherwise, Euroamerican sites (as my Momma used to say, "they're ignoring me, and if there's one thing I can't stand, it's ignorance.").  This seems like one of those notions that seemed reasonable to one or two people, but got little consideration beyond that before being enacted.
Could we get some information from NPS archaeologists about why and how this change came about, and whether consideration was given to the impact on Euroamerican sites, or on Native sites and items of non-burial status?
 
Jeff  
 
Jeffrey L. Boyer, RPA
Office of Archaeological Studies
P.O. Box 2087
Santa Fe, New Mexico  87504
tel: 505.827.6343
fax: 505.827.3904
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
 

________________________________

From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY on behalf of Laurie Burgess
Sent: Fri 9/30/2005 7:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: NPS Archaeology E-Gram and ARPA



I hope we continue to get the NPS Archaeology E-gram through Histarch.  I
find it helpful and informative, and this month I was struck by the move of
ARPA from NPS Archeology Program to the National NAGPRA office.  It seems
surprising since many known and many yet-to-be-discovered historic sites
with no Native-American components are equally covered under ARPA, but
NAGPRA deals with repatriation to federally recognized tribes.  Any thoughts
on this?  Are there any changes we should anticipate?

Laurie




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