Fort Lewis Intern
NAGPRA Interns (2)
Description of the project
This opportunity is for two interns to assist Mesa Verde National Park in activities related to NAGPRA -the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. NAGPRA provides a process for museums
and Federal agencies to return Native American human remains and cultural objects to affiliated Indian
tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations. The interns will assist Curation staff in completing NAGPRA
compliance for partial human remains and funerary objects that fall under the Future Applicability Rule of
43 CFR 10. The intern will also inventory, document and research Bureau of Indian Affairs materials in
the park’s possession. Additionally, the intern will assist in the preparations of the spring and fall
consultation meetings. In addition, the intern will also help process and organize paper records
associated with Mesa Verde National Park’s NAGPRA activities over the last two decades. Included in
these materials are documents related to Mesa Verde National Park’s culturally affiliated and traditionally
associated tribal communities.
Duties (or include in Description)
The duties of this internship include basic museum duties such as examining and inventorying museum
objects, reading and organizing written documentation, and completing administrative tasks. However,
the internship also requires more advance museum duties such as the examination of partial human
remains and funerary objects, research skills, and thoughtful analysis. The intern will be expected to use
computer programs such as word and excel. The Intern may also be assigned work with the NPS
museum collections database “ICMS”. Additional duties include updating mailing lists, preparing
correspondence, and attending and taking notes at consultation meetings. A short course will be provided
at the beginning of the internship to familiarize the intern with museum methods and the Native American
Graves Repatriation and Protection Act (NAGPRA). Some of the work performed by the intern will benefit
Mesa Verde National Park, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and tribal communities. Anyone who has an
interest in Native American history and law, museum studies, and southwest studies is encouraged to
apply. The activities of this internship will directly support the Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act and therefore student sponsored research or the production of a research paper is not a
desired component of this internship and has been waived.
Mentor(s) - 1 or 2
The mentors will be the Museum Curator Tara Travis and Museum Technician, Lauren Finn.
Work environment
This internship will involve a wide variety of activities that will take place in the Mesa Verde Research
Center – both the office and in the museum collections repository.
Schedule (or TBA)