Hollowed to Hallowed Ground: The 1999 Pecos Repatriation

National Park Service

In 1999, almost 2,000 ancestors and nearly 1,000 objects were repatriated to the Pueblo of Jemez, largely from northeastern museums, resulting in one of the largest repatriations to occur under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. When the Pueblo of Jemez reclaimed their ancestors and objects, they reburied them near their original resting in place what is now Pecos National Historical Park. This is the story of those ancestors’ journey. It is a story of loss, cooperation, and hope.

Episodes

  1. Episode 1

    Episode 1: Alfred Kidder

    Archaeologist Alfred Kidder is one of the foremost figures in archaeology of the American Southwest. His work using the method of stratigraphy to provide relative dating of artifacts in the Upper Pecos Valley was groundbreaking in the early twentieth century. During his work at Pecos, he also uncovered ancestors of the Pueblo People whom he sent to museums in the Northeast, never seeking the permission of the descendant communities, particularly the Pueblo of Jemez.

  2. Episode 2

    Episode 2: NAGPRA

    When the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act became law in 1990, it provided Native American communities with legal backing to reclaim their ancestors and certain objects from cultural institutions that receive federal funds. The Pueblo of Jemez immediately began the NAGPRA process to return their ancestors and objects home, but the process took several years of consultation with the museums and government entities involved. Over that time a mutual respect and understanding developed.

  3. Episode 3

    Episode 3: The Repatriation

    In 1999 the Pueblo of Jemez returned their ancestors and objects to their final resting place in what is now Pecos National Historical Park. The final journey included repatriation ceremonies at Peabody Institute of Archaeology and Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, a two day, non-stop ride in a semi-truck, and the community retracing the 106 mile journey of their ancestors from Pecos Pueblo to the Pueblo of Jemez on foot. It was a journey of mourning, but also peace and hope for the future.

  • 3 Episodes

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About

In 1999, almost 2,000 ancestors and nearly 1,000 objects were repatriated to the Pueblo of Jemez, largely from northeastern museums, resulting in one of the largest repatriations to occur under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. When the Pueblo of Jemez reclaimed their ancestors and objects, they reburied them near their original resting in place what is now Pecos National Historical Park. This is the story of those ancestors’ journey. It is a story of loss, cooperation, and hope.

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