Archeology

Required investigations of cultural material below ground having information about our past

Check List:

• Survey
• Identify
• Evaluate
• Avoid Impacting Site
• Excavate
• Extract Data
• Curate Artifacts

Links:

Law:

• Archeological Resources Protection Act: ARPA
• Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: NAGPRA

Regulations:

• Protection of Archeological Resources: 43CFR Part 7
• Curation of Federally Owned and Administered Archeological Collections: 36 CFR Part 79

Guidelines

• Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology: Archeology Standards

Early Archeology Laws:

Historic Sites, Buildings, Objects, and Antiquities Act of 1935

• preserve for public use historic sites, buildings, and objects of national significance for the inspiration & benefit of U.S. people.

Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• preserve cultural resources that may be damaged by federal construction activities.
• notify Interior Secretary when unanticipated archaeological sites discovered.
• limits archeological data recovery funds to 1% of project expenses.

Critical Archeology Laws:

Archeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA)

• protects archeological resources/sites on public or Indian lands.
• fosters information exchange between agencies, organizations & individuals having collections or data.
• requires permits from the federal land manager for any excavation or removal of archeological resources from public or Indian lands.
• Excavations must be undertaken for the purpose of furthering archeological knowledge in the public interest, and resources removed remain the property of the United States

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA)

• sets policy that federal agencies must work with Native American groups to identify and return cultural items (human remains and associated funerary objects) discovered on federal lands to the affiliated Native American group.
• "Native American Cultural Items" - More than graves and their contents.
• Agencies and museums must:
  • inventory their collections
  • establish ownership
  • notify affiliated tribes and others
  • repatriate items to those affiliated
• If Native American cultural item is discovered:
• Stop work in vicinity
• Notify agency head
• Receive certification of notification
• Consult, preserve, relocate, etc.

• Can recommence work 30 days after receipt of certification

• If "planned activity" may result in excavation of Native American cultural items on Federal or tribal land: Contact and consult relevant tribe(s):
• Conact and consult with relevant tribe(s)
• Develop a written Plan of Action (POA)
• POA can then be followed in lieu of stopping, etc. for discovery

Strategy for Federal Archeology:

• Public Education and Participation - archeology week celebrations, open houses, tours, volunteer programs, films.
• Public Use of the Archeological Record - archeological record of thousands of years of human adaptation to changing environments, can help us understand and shape our present responses to changing environments.
• Fight Looting and Preserve the Archeological Record in Place - provide increased law enforcement personnel trained in archeological protection, and use the strengthened laws to prosecute looters.
• Interagency Cooperation in Information Exchange - at the national, state, and local levels.
• Site Inventories - of the public lands; inventory and provide information about the distribution and characteristics of the archeological resources in U.S.
• Curation of Collections and Records - preserve the artifacts, other excavated remains, and related records from sites on public lands.

Send inquiries about this page to kathleen.schamel2@va.gov.