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It is further the policy of the Museum that these collections will be curated in a way that their potential as sources of information and public enjoyment will be unimpaired, and that the materials and documentation will be made accessible in a manner consistent with their responsible use. All parties contracting for curatorial services at the Museum must utilize and conform to procedures in effect at the Museum at the time of signing the Agreement.

ARIZONA STATE MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

CURATION OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS FROM STATE LANDS

The Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, is responsible under state law for the archaeological resources on lands owned by the State of Arizona. Traditionally, the State Museum has depended heavily on its permit-making authority in carrying out its responsibilities under the law. In recent years efforts have been made to improve the quality of reports and other documentation required on permittees. direct attention to the nature of the curation of archaeological materials removed from state land by permittees.

It is now necessary to

The rapid development of contract archaeology during the past few years has led to more frequent archaeological activities on state lands. These activities have resulted in an increase in the number of State Antiquities Permits issued, and a concomitant growth in the number and size of collections resulting from survey and excavation.

Though additional collections are being accumulated, there has been no significant improvement in Arizona in the facilities required to house these collections adequately. Needed resources include collection and archival storage space, and the services of trained conservators.

The current inadequacy of the storage facilities and curatorial capabilities in Arizona has resulted in generally poor housing of col- lections where crowding causes damage and loss. these collections reduces their scientific usefulness.

The inaccessibility of

This unfortunate situation has often led to unwise and arbitrary disposal of incomplete and fragmentary artifacts and other cultural materials. everything, conservation and preservaiton of archaeological sites and materials is an important goal of contemporary archaeology.

While it is recognized that it may not be desirable to save

Along with these professional concerns are those currently being expressed by various other state agencies, particularly the Arizona State Land Department.

These guidelines for the long term curation and disposition of archaeological collections from state land are designed to (1) point our real and potential problem areas, (2) clarify and state the concern of the Arizona State Museum, and (3 ) specify methods and ways of handling the problem of accountability.

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Responsibilities of the Collecting Agency

All collections made on State land under an Arizona Antiquities permit must be housed and curated permanently by the permittee institution (ARS 41-482 C). collections, field notes, photographs, maps, survey field recording forms, and other records made during and after the field work.

Materials to be held in perpetuity include surface and excavated

Documentation and Cataloguing

All artifacts retained by the permittee institution must be catalogued and fully documented. All accession and catalogue records are considered to be part of the material that must be permanently maintained.

Storage

The permittee must provide adequate storage facilities with a suitable environment f o r the protection and preservation of collections from state land and must utilize proper conservation techniques.

Access

All collections and records made under the provisions of an Arizona Antiquities permit must be made available to qualified archaeologists and the general public without charge upon reasonable notice. Site locations should not be made available to non-professionals.

Disposal

The permittee does not have the option of unilaterally discarding or otherwise disposing of survey or excavated collections or any part of them. Collections, or portions of them, made during archaeological survey or excavation on state lands may be disposed of only if:

(1) the disposal of any cultural material, no matter how insignificant seeming, from all surveys and excavations, is approved in writing by the Director of the Arizona State Museum;

(2) the disposal involves fragmentary and redundant historic and pre- historic ceramic sherds, ground and chipped lithic debris, glass fragments, and other fragmentary artifacts;

(3) the fragments and redundant artifacts have been thoroughly and professionally studied and the resultant information recorded in a professionally acceptable manner;

(4) the records are housed in perpetuity by the permittee in a professionally acceptable manner.

A permittee must obtain prior written consent from the Director of the Arizona State Museum before making permanent loans or gifts of arch- aeological materials from state land to any other institution.

In the event that an institution housing collections from state land is dissolved, for whatever reason, the collections and records will revert to the custody of the Arizona State Museum.

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Compliance

P e r m i t t e e i n s t i t u t i o n s are expec ted t o a g r e e f o r m a l l y t o a b i d e by t h e s e g u i d e l i n e s f o r t h e permanent p r o t e c t i o n of a r t i f a c t s and r e c o r d s i n t h e i r p o s s e s s i o n from s t a t e l a n d s . I f a n i n s t i t u t i o n is u n a b l e o r u n w i l l i n g t o meet t h e requi rements of t h e s e g u i d e l i n e s , a l l c o l l e c t i o n s from s ta te l a n d and a l l r e l a t e d r e c o r d s i n i t s p o s s e s s i o n w i l l r e v e r t t o t h e care of t h e Arizona S ta t e Museum.

For i n s t i t u t i o n s unable t o m a i n t a i n c o l l e c t i o n s and r e c o r d s i n a proper manner an arrangement may b e made w i t h t h e Arizona S t a t e Museum f o r an a p p r o p r i a t e d e p o s i t o r y f o r such c o l l e c t i o n s and r e c o r d s . The c o s t of t h e s e c u r a t o r i a l services must b e borne by t h e i n s t i t u t i o n r e q u e s t i n g such s e r v i c e s . These materials may b e made a v a i l a b l e on a l o a n bas i s t o such i n s t i t u t i o n s f o r e x h i b i t , s t u d y purposes , or o t h e r p r o f e s s i o n a l needs .

A p e r m i t t e e t h a t f a i l s t o a b i d e by t h e c o n d i t i o n s set f o r t h i n t h e s e g u i d e l i n e s w i l l l o s e i t s permi t and w i l l have t o o f f e r proof t h a t t h e f a c t o r s t h a t caused t h e f a i l u r e t o comply have been changed f o r t h e b e t t e r b e f o r e i t c a n be cons idered e l i g i b l e f o r a new p e r m i t .

September 1978

WRC MEETING

A t t h e 1979 a n n u a l meet ing of t h e Western Regional Conference of t h e American A s s o c i a t i o n of Museums, t h e r e w a s a p a n e l d i s c u s s i o n on t h e " E t h i c a l and Legal R e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s of Museums i n Deaccess ioning American I n d i a n Objec ts . " The p a n e l i s t s con- s i s t e d of Rober t Breunig, moderator , Museum of Northern Arizona; Dan Monroe, Deputy Director, Alaska S t a t e Museum; Ellen Lang-Hayes , Alaska Native L i a i s o n O f f i c e r f o r C u l t u r a l Affairs , N a t i o n a l Park Ser- vice; S t e v e Darden, former C u r a t o r of t h e Navajo T r i b a l Museum; and A l l a n Ulberg, c o u n s e l , Smithsonian I n s t i t u t i o n .

The purpose of t h e p a n e l w a s t o he lp museum c u r a t o r s and N a t i v e Americans d e t e r m i n e t h e k i n d s of

e t h i c a l and l e g a l c r i t e r i a t h a t t h e y should apply when c o n s i d e r i n g t h e r e q u e s t of t h e r e t u r n of N a t i v e American a r t i f a c t s . The s e s s i o n w a s i n t e n d e d t o take a p r a c t i c a l and p o s i t i v e approach t o what h a s been a v e r y s e n s i t i v e i s s u e . Some of t h e q u e s t i o n s asked a t t h e meet ing were t h e fo l lowing: Under what circum- s t a n c e s should Native Americans make r e q u e s t s f o r t h e r e t u r n of o b j e c t s ? How would a c u r a t o r weigh t h e needs and i n t e r e s t s of h i s i n s t i t u t i o n and h i s p r o f e s s i o n a g a i n s t t h o s e of t h e N a t i v e Americans? What l e g a l f a c - t o r s should Nat ive Americans and c u r a t o r s t a k e i n t o account when d i s - c u s s i n g t h e r e t u r n of m a t e r i a l from museums?

Robert Breunig r e p o r t s t h a t t h e r e s u l t s from t h e meet ing were pos i - t i v e and t h e WRC is funding a publ i - c a t i o n on t h e meeting which w i l l i n - c l u d e a t r a n s c r i p t of t h e pane l [Jis- c u s s i o n and w i l l b e a v a i l a b l e some t i m e t h i s w i n t e r fo r those i n t e r e s t e d . 2 1