Principles in Indigenous Archival Repatriation

"Principles in Indigenous Archival Repatriation" (PINAR) was written by members of SAA's Archival Repatriation Committee and approved by SAA Council as a professional standard in August 2025: https://www2.archivists.org/standards/principles-in-indigenous-archival-...

PINAR marks the first phase of the committee's duties to develop and disseminate guidance and training about archival repatriation.

Background on the development of PINAR:

 SAA's Native American Archives (NAAS) Section initiated conversations about the need for archival repatriation policy as part of SAA’s DEIA work plan development process in 2021. NAAS prepared a formal proposal for the May 2022 SAA Council meeting, and the Archival Repatriation Committee formally launched in Fall 2022, with a charge to “to support archivists in repatriating and receiving archival materials” (https://www2.archivists.org/governance-manual/archival-repatriation-committee). Throughout 2022 and 2023, the Committee compiled existing published sources, and conducted listening sessions with a range of individuals and project teams involved in archival repatriation work. Based on those sessions, the Committee drafted its first draft of the PINAR during a two-day hybrid workshop held at the University of Michigan’s School of Information in June 2024. 

 After drafting, the Committee contacted more than 30 archivists, leaders, educators, and allied practitioners from a range of institutions and also shared a draft of PINAR at the annual meetings of SAA and the Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. The committee received substantial in-person and written feedback, and developed a new draft in December 2024 for final revision with the committee and NAAS members. The final version was submitted to Council in July 2025 and was approved at the Council meeting in August 2025.

The SAA Archival Repatriation Committee thanks all who contributed feedback during the development and drafting of PINAR.

Authors of PINAR:

• Terry Baxter, SAA Past President and Council Liaison
• Vina Begay (Diné Nation), Labriola National American Indian Data Center, Arizona State University
• Megan K. Friedel, University of Colorado Boulder Libraries
• Kelley Hummingbird (Cherokee Nation), College of Communication and Information Science, University of Alabama
• Diana Marsh, College of Information, University of Maryland 
• Ricardo L. Punzalan, School of Information, University of Michigan 
• Jacob Savory (The Chickasaw Nation), Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University
• Kevin Schlottmann, Columbia University Libraries 
• Jack Schmitt, Benson Ford Research Center, The Henry Ford 
• Melissa Stoner (Navajo), Ethnic Studies Library, University of California, Berkeley