Krystiana Krupa (UIUC, PI), Dr. Jenny Davis (UIUC, co-project director), and Dr. Jayne-Leigh Thomas (Indiana University, co-project director) have been awarded a $271,411 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to continue their Intensive NAGPRA Summer Training & Education Program (INSTEP).
The grant will allow them to offer the program in Arizona, Alaska, Colorado, and Kansas over the three years as well as develop an open access textbook on NAGPRA, repatriation, and tribal consultation. Since 2023, they have offered trainings at Indiana University, UIUC, the University of South Carolina, and a Native nation employees specific one hosted by the Miami Nation of Oklahoma.
The Intensive NAGPRA Summer Training & Education Program (INSTEP) focuses on best practices related to Ancestral human remains and cultural items under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Training in and around the subject of NAGPRA is notoriously lacking in most academic anthropology programs and even Tribal communities, highlighting the need for long-term availability of such training.
You can learn more about the INSTEP here.