Legislating multivocality : drawing on the NAGPRA experience

Abstract

There is a general consensus today within archaeology and anthropology that we need to reach outside of the disciplinary boundaries and make archaeology and anthropology relevant for people outside o f the profession. Multivocality - whether as an abstract theoretical concept, or a practical reality- isbecomingmorethanabuzz-word,andisprogressivelyinfluencing policies and practices. This situation is especially evident in parts of the world where archaeology and anthropology historically were associated with colonial powers and colonial strategies. In several instances it is also in these parts of the world that we today see the most far-reaching changes in new policies, and where legislation is used to provide a process for multivocality involving especially indigenous peoples in order to fundamentally change the way archaeology and anthropology are practiced. As these issues are becoming increasingly global, it is reasonable to assume that all archaeologists, anthropologists, museum professionals etc, will need to discuss the possible strategies available in dialogue with each other and with other stakeholders. As we continue this discussion we can draw on the experiences in other parts of the world in order to formulate our strategies. This article critically examines an example of one such legislative effort, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) passed in the United States in 1990