9th Annual Repatriation Conference: ​Building a New Fire

Things have changed. Repatriation – the return of Native Ancestors and their burial items, as well as the return of tangible and intangible cultural heritage – has changed. 

​If your institution, agency or uncle is holding sensitive Native items without the consent and direction from Native Nations, then you are on the wrong side of history. The Safeguarding Objects of Cultural Patrimony Act has been signed into law, a brand-new version of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act regulations are in the process of being final, and institutions are being called out for failing to repatriate. It is time for us to come together and build a new fire that will elevate our collective healing from this theft against humanity and human rights. We must re-commit to work together and pass forward intergenerational healing, so that we are no longer holding on to the trauma of our past.  
 
We all have a place around this new fire. 
Won’t you help us build a new fire?

---

Celebrating 100 Years of Service

​​The Association on American Indian Affairs is the oldest non-profit serving Indian Country protecting sovereignty, preserving culture, educating youth and building capacity.

The Association was formed in 1922 to change the destructive path of federal policy from assimilation, termination and allotment, to sovereignty, ​self-determination and self-sufficiency. Throughout our 100-year history, we have provided national advocacy on watershed issues that support sovereignty and culture, while working at a grassroots level with Tribes to support the implementation of programs that affect real lives on the ground.
​
Currently, the Association is engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process to prepare the organization for its next 100 years. By building internal capacity and efficient infrastructure around our cultural values, the Association will achieve its vision to ensure “A world where Native American cultures and values are lived, protected and respected.”

SUPPORT CULTURAL SOVEREIGNTY

But one thing is very clear. We cannot continue into the next 100 years without you. We need your commitment, we need your time, we need your  advocacy, and most important, we need your financial support to continue the great path that the Association has laid down over the last 100 years. Now is the time to commit to the next 100 years of American Indian sovereignty, culture, education and capacity building.

The Association offers opportunities for your commitment at every level.  Your support will fund programs that protect sovereignty, preserve culture, educate youth and build capacity. Commit to our 100 Months in 100 Years Campaign! Or, become a Special Cultural Sovereignty Advocate by joining the Association's Legacy Council. Together we can affect the change necessary to strengthen Indian Country for the next 100 years.

---

VISION

Our vision is to create a world where diverse Native American cultures and values are lived, protected and respected.

MISSION

​Our mission is to lead the grassroots fight to protect Native American Cultural Sovereignty.

GOALS

Our goals are to protect sovereignty, preserve culture, educate youth and build capacity. ​

---

Help us hold institutions like Harvard accountable to their repatriation obligations.

On February 18, 2021 the Association sent a letter to Harvard University President Lawrence S. Bacow calling on Harvard to comply with NAGPRA and require the free, prior and informed consent of Native Nations before research can be performed on those collections.

Click here to read our letter, see the latest news, and learn how you can support accountability at Harvard and other institutions.

---