The work did not begin when it should have.
It began when it had to.
If there is a hamartia here, it’s the delay.
“It changed completely with the updated regulations a couple years ago. There was a big revision in some NAGPRA regulations. We also put in a self-imposed deadline… I think 2029 is a key deadline for us to really push these NAGPRA items back to their communities, make those connections.”
The collections had been there for decades. The law had been in place since 1990. But the pace of return had lagged behind the obligation largely due to leadership priorities.
For Vasta, this delay has become something she has to work through in real time.
From Meredith Vasta, herself:“There is so much fear on my part of doing it wrong.”
