Position Summary
Reporting to the Chief Curator with day-to-day direction by the Curator of American Indian Collections / NAGPRA Coordinator, the NAGPRA Research Assistant aids in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s (WHS) ongoing Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) compliance, which involves Native American ancestral human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony. Primary responsibilities include archival research, inventory of WHS’ holdings, documentation management, and assisting preparations for consultations and internal/external reporting.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Evaluate previous inventories of collections and re-inventory when necessary
- Research archaeological and ethnographic collections using archival documentation, academic sources, and information from Tribal knowledge holders
- Prep documentation to share with Tribal Nation partners, which may include creating reports from the Argus database, digitizing collections documentation, and organizing in network filesand cloud-based software
- Digitally track documentation and project progress and file digital and physical project documentation
- Track activities and notes in WHS’ relational database, Argus
- Contribute to consultations with Tribal representatives for repatriations and for the care, identification, and storage of collections. May include prepping documentation and event coordination.
- Contribute to notices drafted for submission to the Federal Register
- Attend pertinent NAGPRA coordination and practice meetings
- Meet frequently with the Curator of American Indian Collections / NAGPRA Coordinator
- Assist in the maintenance of Tribal partnerships and service to Native Nations
PLEASE NOTE:
This position is located at the State Archive Preservation Facility at 204 South Thornton Ave., Madison.