Native Spirituality and Civil Rights

Native Spiritually

Question 1: NAGPRA and sovereignty Do you think NAGPRA was an important legislative achievement for native people? Either way, does it do anything to benefit native people in regards to their sovereignty? What might be some of the difficulties associated with implementing NAGPRA?

Question 2: Kennewick Man, Oral History, and the Landscape The Umatilla worked for decades to make a case that Kennewick Man should be returned to them because their oral histories proved a connection between their tribe and Kennewick’s remains. In the end, the case was won thanks, in part, to a genetic study that showed strong biological links between the Umatilla and the remains. Do you think the Umatilla should be happy with this outcome? Why or why not?

Question 3: Native Spirituality and Civil Rights We’ll see in A Good Day to Die that a rediscovery of traditional indigenous religion played an important part in the American Indian civil rights movement. Do you think that religion should be a force for civil rights or for causes of social justice? Why or why not?