Caring for tataayiyam honuuka' (Ancestors) affected by past museum practices

In this presentation, Lylliam Posadas, NAGPRA Coordinator at the Autry Museum of the American West; Desiree Martinez, Project Archaeologist at Cogstone Resource Management; Özge Gençay-Üstün, Conservator at the Autry Museum of the American West; and Karimah Kennedy-Richardson, Staff Archaeologist at the Autry Museum of the American West, present a cross-discipline model for how Native communities and museum professionals in archaeology, NAGPRA, and conservation departments can engage in caring for ancestral remains. The presenters highlight perspectives and experiences from culturally affiliated tribal members and staff from the Autry Museum of the American West and explore a case of ancestral remains that had undergone invasive alterations at the Southwest Museum (now the Autry Museum) in order to be exhibited and how collective expertise was used to make respectful decisions. The presentation slides also cover conservation materials and techniques employed. This session was part of the ATALM annual conference held in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, on October 10-13, 2017.