The University acknowledges that Indigenous peoples have inhabited this land of Oklahoma from time immemorial and a tangible record of this history is inscribed on the landscape. Since the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) in 1990, the University, primarily through the work of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, has completed numerous inventories and repatriations and continues to work closely with Indian Tribes.
The University of Oklahoma is dedicated to meeting its obligations under NAGPRA. Further, the University strives to engage respectfully with Indian Tribes and continues to work diligently to grow its tribal relationships. Thus, in 2023, Provost Wright appointed an independent NAGPRA Oversight Committee, representing scholars in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, art history, and Indian law, to provide advice and recommendations to the University, including the Museum, on NAGPRA-related matters.
In 1990, the U.S. Congress enacted into law the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 32, sections 3001-3013). The law and its implementing regulations directs entities, including federal agencies and museums, that hold cultural items to create an inventory, identify and notify the affected Indian tribe or Native Hawaiian Association, and repatriate such items as requested. The Act creates a process for the repatriation of the remains of Native ancestors, and their belongings, including funerary objects, sacred objects, and items of cultural patrimony.
The National Park Service, located within the Department of the Interior, is the federal agency responsible for fulfilling Congress’s mandate and ensuring compliance with NAGPRA.
For more information, you may visit nps.gov/subjects/nagpra/index
July 2026—The NAGPRA Oversight Committee welcomes Deanna Byrd, newly hired NAGPRA Program Coordinator at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. Deanna will oversee compliance, consultations, and repatriation efforts under NAGPRA. She will also play a key role in managing inventories, facilitating tribal consultations, and ensuring stewardship of collections. The NAGPRA Oversight Committee looks forward to supporting and working closely with Deanna as she helps fulfill the museum’s obligations under NAGPRA and to Tribal Nations.
The NAGPRA Oversight Committee consists of the following members:
Tana Fitzpatrick, J.D.
Crow Tribe of Montana
Associate Vice President of Tribal Relations
University’s NAGPRA Compliance Officer and Chair of the Oversight Committee
Term: 2023-2028
Yve Chavez, Ph.D.
Gabrieleno Tongva San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians
OU Assistant Professor of Art History; Committee Member
Term: 2023-2027
Asa Randall, Ph.D.
OU Associate Professor of Anthropology
Committee Member
Term: 2023-2027
Amanda Regnier, Ph.D.
Oklahoma Archaeological Survey
Committee Member (Permanent Seat)
Lewis Borck, Ph.D.
OU Assistant Professor of Native American Studies
Committee Member
Term: 2026-2029
Amy Jiang, J.D.
OU Assistant General Counsel
Ex Officio Member
Janet Braun, Ph.D.
Director of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Ex Officio Member
Patrick Livingood, Ph.D.
OU Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology
Former Committee Member
Term: 2024-2025
M. Alexander Pearl, J.D.
Chickasaw
OU Professor of Law
Former Committee Member
Term: 2023-2026
Contact Us: nagpra@ou.edu
