UND working with firm to assist in repatriation efforts
Feb. 9—GRAND FORKS — Three months after hiring a firm specializing in cultural resource management to assist with its process of repatriating ancestral remains to tribal nations, UND leaders are reaffirming their commitment to the process, while reminding the public that repatriation is a lengthy endeavor.
The firm called "Dirt Divers," is headquartered in Cass Lake, Minnesota and owned by James Jones, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, according to UND's repatriation website.
David Dodds, UND's director of communications, emphasized the importance of employing a team that has connections to tribal nations, and experience working on repatriation efforts.
"It was very important that we were able to find a cultural resource management team that had strong existing partnerships with the tribal communities in the Midwest," said Dodds. "UND also relied heavily on input from the tribal communities impacted, or potentially impacted, by the repatriation work in making the determination to contract with Dirt Divers. Dirt Divers' experience, ownership and existing relationship with Hamline University in St. Paul, who has conducted extensive repatriation work in the region, was also key to the sole-source determination."
UND President Andrew Armacost said it is difficult to estimate the exact cost of Dirt Diver's services to UND, given the unpredictable timeline of repatriation efforts.
"We don't have a ballpark figure yet, because we don't know how long this is going to take," said Armacost. "It could take up to two, even three years to complete the process. As we announced in November, there was a collection of medical specimens that we have to examine to see if any are Native American ancestors — the workload will be significant."
During the State Board of Higher Education's meeting on Jan. 26, Chancellor Mark Hagerott reaffirmed his support for UND's repatriation efforts. Hagerott also said he asked Armacost for an update at the end of 2022, and realizes the process could take several years.
UND has also advertised an opening for the position of NAGPRA Compliance Liaison. According to the job description posted on UND's website, responsibilities include consulting with NAGPRA, or the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, a 1990 law enacted by Congress mandating agencies and institutions receiving federal funds return any ancestral remains found in their possession to tribal communities. The posted salary range for this position is $60,000-80,000 per year.
Armacost said Dirt Divers' contract, along with the salary for the aforementioned NAGPRA Compliance Liaison, will be funded through UND's reserve funds.
"UND keeps funds in reserve to cover unforeseen circumstances such as this," said Armacost. "Both the cost of our contract with Dirt Divers, and the salary for our NAGPRA Compliance Liaison will be covered under these funds. Additionally, as a courtesy to tribal leaders who visit our campus, we cover their travel expenses."
According to Dodds, UND has spent a total of $209,296.15 on repatriation efforts since ancestral remains were first discovered on campus in March 2022.
Additionally, UND has announced it is no longer using human remains for instruction at its School of Medicine and Health Sciences, unless the university can confirm through its database that they were donated voluntarily.
"We have a deeded body program, where there is careful control over data — we know who the volunteers are, and that they've donated their bodies to science," said Armacost. "In those cases, their bodies can be used for instruction. For use of bones such as skeletons, Dean Josh Wynne has indicated that the college will now use plastic replicas."
