Tompkins County Public Library

Friday, September 29, 2017

Library to Host Harmon for Discussion on Native American Repatriation


In conjunction with its 2017 Community Read of Sherman Alexie’s “Blasphemy,” the Tompkins County Public Library will host Alex Harmon, PhD, for a discussion on the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Wednesday, October 11 at 6 p.m. in the BorgWarner Community Room.

Harmon, a lecturer in Cornell University’s Department of English, is a scholar on the intersection between Native American literature and federal Indian law. Her Library discussion will examine the origins of the repatriation movement, the language of the law and the pivotal case of the Kennewick Man, in order to evaluate NAGPRA’s successes and limitations for Native people. It will also include a discussion of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art’s repatriation of wampum belts to the Onondaga Nation as a model for the successful application of NAGPRA’s framework and an example of reaching beyond its confines.

This program is free and open to the public.

Now in its 15th year, the Community Read encourages readers to experience the bond of literature by reading and discussing the same title. Copies of the book are available to borrow from the Library’s collection and limited copies are available for local book groups and not-for-profit organizations.

For more information or to reserve copies of “Blasphemy” for a book group or agency, contact Tom Burns at tburns@tcpl.org or (607) 272-4557 extension 253.

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