Guiding the Next Generation of NAGPRA Practitioners: Formalizing Undergraduate NAGPRA Education

Abstract This article focuses on outlining formalized Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) training efforts at the undergraduate level. Since 2022, the Center for Archaeology and Society Repository (CASR) at Arizona State University has offered a four-semester NAGPRA learning track designed to prepare students for careers in NAGPRA. Recognizing the shortage of trained practitioners entering the field and the limited incorporation of NAGPRA education in anthropology curricula, the learning track integrates classroom learning, intensive mentorship, and hands-on experience with active repatriation work. Each semester builds progressively from a foundation of collections care and NAGPRA principles, to advanced repatriation tasks, then project management, and finally implementing repatriation in a setting outside of CASR. The program emphasizes a respectful approach to skills competency within a supportive environment that interweaves student needs with repatriation goals. Lessons learned highlight the need for planning, dedicated supervision, and a repatriation process tailored to student integration to ensure meaningful student learning, professional readiness, and NAGPRA project advancement. The CASR NAGPRA learning track serves as a model for other institutions seeking to implement a NAGPRA educational program. The combination of experiential learning, direct participation in compliance processes, and discussion topics prepares students for a career in repatriation and fields beyond.