Indianz.Com Listening Lounge, Senate Indian Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, July 28, 2005. Note: All files in MP3 format. Intro - 2:13 - 392k Panel I - 14:09 -2.4MB Panel II - 42:10 - 7.2MB | Q&A - 24:39 - 4.2MB • Witness List

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee held an oversight hearing today on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Among other issues, the committee discussed the Kennewick Man case. After years in the courts, scientists were given approval to study the remains of the 9,300-year-old man over the objections of tribes. A bill sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the committee, could address similar cases in the future but the proposal has generated controversy.

The Bush administration announced, for the first time, its opposition to the amendment. An Interior Department official said the interpretation of NAGPRA by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was correct and acknowledged the shift in stance in the case.

The hearing started at 9:30am and was broadcast online [Committee Web Site]. Here is the witness list.

Panel I
MR. PAUL HOFFMAN, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Panel II
MR. PAUL BENDER, Professor of Law, Arizona State University College of Law, Tempe, Arizona
MR. WALTER R. ECHO-HAWK, SR., Senior Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund, Boulder, Colorado
MS. PATRICIA M. LAMBERT, American Association of Physical Anthropologist, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
MS. PAULA BARRAN, Attorney, Barran and Leibman, LLP, Portland, Oregon
Accompanied by: MR. ALAN L. SCHNEIDER, Director, Friends of America's Past, Portland, Oregon
PROFESSOR KEITH W. KINTIGH, Society for American Archaeology, Tempe, Arizona
MR. VAN HORN DIAMOND, Honolulu, Hawaii

NAGPRA Amendment Bill:
S.536: Technical Corrections Act

Court Decision:
BONNICHSEN v. US (February 4, 2004)

Relevant Links:
Kennewick Man, Department of Interior - http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick
Friends of America's Past - http://www.friendsofpast.org
Kennewick Man Virtual Interpretive Center, The Tri-City (Washington) Herald - http://www.kennewick-man.com

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