1. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, policy and guidance on the treatment of human remains and grave goods (1988).
    • Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Human Remains and Grave Goods (September 27, 1988). (PDF)
    • Policy Interpretation Memorandum 89-1, Treatment of Human Remains and Grave Goods (December 1, 1988). (PDF) 
  2. Correspondence with the Department of the Interior regarding key issues in implementing NAGPRA: funding, review committee, and regulation drafting (1991).
    • AAM, SAA et al. letter to Manuel Lujan, Secretary of the Interior (August 27, 1991). (PDF) 
  3. Correspondence with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requesting that the agency fund a detailed study of the Kennewick skeleton for the purposes of determining cultural affiliation (1996-97).
    • SAA letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (September 16, 1996). (PDF)
    • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers response to SAA letter of September 16, 1996 (January 24, 1997). (PDF) 
  4. Correspondence with National Park Service regarding proposed reburial of human remains and cultural items from Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument (1997).
    • SAA letter to Charles Wilson, Superintendent, Chaco Culture National Historical Park (July 30, 1997). (PDF)
    • SAA letter to Charles B. Cooper, Superintendent, Aztec Ruins National Monument (July 30, 1997). (PDF)
    • NPS response to SAA letters of July 30, 1997 (September 3, 1997). (PDF) 
  5. Correspondence with USDA Forest Service and Arizona State Museum regarding USDA's 1996 publication called Cultural Affiliation: Prehistoric Cultural Affiliations of Southwestern Indian Tribes (1997).
    • SAA letter to Charles Cartwright, Regional Forester, Southwest Region, USDA Forest Service (July 30, 1997). (PDF)
    • USDA Forest Service response to SAA letter of July 30, 1997 (September 17, 1997). (PDF)
    • SAA followup to USDA response of September 17, 1997 (December 1, 1997). (PDF)
    • Arizona State Museum response to SAA letter of July 30, 1997 (August 18, 1997). (PDF)
    • SAA followup to Arizona State Museum response of August 18, 1997 (September 17, 1997). (PDF) 
  6. Correspondence with the Department of the Interior regarding museum requests for extensions for NAGPRA inventories (1999).
    • SAA letter to Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior (April 6, 1999). (PDF) 
  7. Correspondence with the Department of the Interior requesting legal review of critical issues in the implementation of NAGPRA (1999-2000).
    • SAA letter to Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior (April 13, 1999).(PDF)
    • Department of Interior response to SAA letter of April 13, 1999 (January 6, 2000). (PDF) 
  8. Responses to the Secretary of the Interior's September 21, 2000 determination of cultural affiliation for Kennewick Man (2000).
    • SAA position paper (October 14, 2000). (PDF)
    • AAPA statement (October 20, 2000).(PDF) 
  9. Correspondence with the National Park Service regarding NAGPRA compliance and other matters (2002).
    • SAA letter to Katherine H. Stevenson (February 5, 2002). (PDF)
    • SAA letter to Robert Stearns (February 5, 2002).(PDF) 
  10. Correspondence with the National Park Service regarding Department of the Interior's authority to issue regulations concerning culturally unidentifiable human remains under NAGPRA (2002).
    • SAA letter to Robert Stearns and Katherine H. Stevenson (February 7, 2002). (PDF)
    • National Park Sevice response to SAA letter of February 7, 2002 (March 8, 2002). (PDF) 
  11. Correspondence with the National Park Service regarding ongoing efforts to move the National NAGPRA Office (2002).
    • SAA letter to Katherine H. Stevenson (September 20, 2002). (PDF) 
  12. Correspondence with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regarding the Buckeye Knoll site, 41VT98, Victoria County, Texas (2002-03).
    • SAA letter to Col. Leonard D. Waterworth, U.S. Army COE (April 2, 2002). (PDF)
    • SAA letter to Col. Leonard D. Waterworth, U.S. Army COE (October 1, 2002). (PDF)
    • SAA letter to Don L. Klima, ACHP (October 21, 2002). (PDF)
    • U.S. Army COE response (November 15, 2002). (PDF)
    • ACHP response (November 27, 2002). (PDF)
    • SAA letter to Col. Leonard D. Waterworth, U.S. Army COE (May 2, 2003). (PDF)
    • U.S. Army COE letter to Lawrence Oaks, Texas SHPO (July 15, 2003). (PDF)
    • U.S. Army COE letter to Don L. Klima, ACHP (July 15, 2003). (PDF)
    • Statement of Findings, U.S. Army Engineer District, Galveston (July 15, 2003). (PDF)
    • Final Treatment Plan, Human Remains and Archeological Materials from the Buckeye Knoll Site (July 15, 2003). (PDF) 
  13. Correspondence with the Federal Highway Administration regarding the Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project (2002).
    • SAA letter to Jose Sepulveda and John Baxter, Division Administrators, FHWA (December 3, 2002). (PDF) 
  14. Correspondence with the National Park Service regarding reorganization of the Archeology and Ethnography Program (2004).
    • SAA letter to Jan Matthews, Associate Director, Cultural Resources (September 24, 2004). (PDF) 
  15. Correspondence with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation concerning archaeological issues to receive priority consideration and action by ACHP (2004-2007).
    • ACHP letter to SAA President Lynne Sebastian, inviting SAA comments (May 28, 2004). (PDF)
    • SAA response to ACHP Executive Director John Fowler (July 9, 2004). (PDF)
    • ACHP update on Archaeology Task Force activities, from Office of Federal Agency Programs (April 29, 2005). (PDF)
    • ACHP update on Archaeology Task Force activities, from Julia A. King (July 19, 2005). (PDF)
    • ACHP update on Archaeology Task Force activities, from Office of Federal Agency Programs (July 22, 2005). (PDF)
      • Attachment 1: Draft consultation plan for revising ACHP's human remains policy. (PDF)
      • Attachment 2: Draft "working principles" for revising ACHP's human remains policy. (PDF)
    • Published Federal Register notice: Working Principles for Revising the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Human Remains and Grave Goods" (September 1, 2005). (PDF)
    • ACHP update on Archaeology Task Force activities, from Julia A. King (September 2, 2005). (PDF)
    • SAA comments on draft "working principles" for revising ACHP's human remains policy (October 24, 2005). (PDF)
    • NPS comments on draft "working principles" for revising ACHP's human remains policy (November 4, 2005). (PDF)
    • ACHP update on Archaeology Task Force activities, from Julia A. King (January 24, 2006). (PDF)
    • Published Federal Register notice: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s Draft "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of  Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (March 14, 2006). (PDF)
    • SAA comments on ACHP's draft "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (June 26, 2006). (PDF)
    • ACHP letter inviting comments on latest draft of "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (December 20, 2006). (PDF)
    • SAA comments on latest draft of "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (January 26, 2007). (PDF)
    • ACHP final "Policy Statement Regarding Treatment of Burial Sites, Human Remains and Funerary Objects" (adopted February 23, 2007). (PDF)
  16. GAO report on implementation of NAGPRA by federal agencies (July 28, 2010) (PDF)
  17. Department of the Interior announces change of definition of 'Indian Tribe' for purposes of NAGPRA (July 5, 2011) (PDF)
  18. Letter to National NAGPRA Program regarding Notices of Inventory Completion (January 16, 2015) (PDF)
  19. Follow up letter to National NAGPRA Program on Notices of Inventory Completion (March 13, 2015) (PDF)
  20. Letter to National NAGPRA Program on needed changes in oversight and implementation (August 31, 2015) (PDF)
  21. Response letter from Dr. Toothman on NAGPRA oversight and implementation (September 18, 2015) (PDF)
  22. Letters to National NAGPRA and NPS on NAGPRA moving forward (October 8, 2015) (PDF-1) (PDF-2)

Archaeologists Share What they Do

The Archiving the Archaeologists series is an oral history project of video interviews of archaeologists near retirement or already retired. Listen to real archaeologists reflect on their careers, how and why they became archaeologists, and their contributions to the discipline on the SAA YouTube channel.

Is the Past in Your Future?

Aimed at high school students, the Is the Past in Your Future?  [PDF 1.1 MB] brochure from the SAA provides brief information about a career in archaeology.

The National Historic Preservation Act

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 is a federal law that protects archaeological resources in the United States. The What is the NPHA? [PDF 1.3 MB] fact-sheet from SAA helps explain the NHPA. It includes common misconceptions about the law and explains the Section 106 review process, which is particularly important to historic preservation.

Be an Archaeology Education Coordinator

If you are an SAA member interested in serving as your area's Archaeology Education Coordinator, please contact [email protected].

SAA Education and Outreach Awards

SAA gives out several archaeology education and outreach-related awards each year: the Distinguished Achievement in Public Archaeology Award, the Excellence in Public Archaeology Programming Award, the Outstanding Public Archaeology Initiative Award, the Binford Family Award for Teaching Scientific Reasoning in Archaeology, the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology Award for Archaeology And Education. Learn more about these awards, nominate a worthy individual or project, and view the past honorees!


Archaeology Education Newsletter Archive
1990-Present

SAA's archaeology education newsletter started as the Public Education Committee's print newsletter Archaeology & Public Education (A&PE). Running from 1990 to 1998, it featured news, events, and K-12 lesson plans aimed at expanding awareness of archaeology and heritage issues. It switched to a web format from 2000 to 2004. After a hiatus, it returned as Public Archaeology Notes (PAN) in 2016, managed by SAA's Archaeology Education Coordinators as a way to share news across regions.

Educational Videos

Looking for video content for your classroom? The SAA YouTube channel has short informational videos on a wide variety of topics, long-form interviews with archaeologists, and publicly-available online seminars.

State Archaeology Celebration Poster Contest

Does your state have an annual archaeology celebration? Submit a poster to the SAA State Archaeology Celebration Poster Contest! Learn more about the award and the submissions process.

SAA Committee on Repatriation

The Committee on Repatriation tracks national legislation, testifies at hearings when necessary, and represents SAA in discussions and negotiations on repatriation issues.

JOIN TODAY!

Join to lend your voice and your numbers to our efforts to ensure the archaeological record will exist for future generations.


Race, Inequality, and Decolonization

Please visit a selection of items on topics of race, inequality, and decolonization from The SAA Archaeological Record, Advances in Archaeological Practice, American Antiquity, and Latin American Antiquity.


Online Learning Archive

SAA members, log into the Member Center to access 30+ hours of free continuing education recordings. This is an exclusive member benefit.

Publicly-Available Recordings

Everyone can enjoy and learn from these events. See SAA's Continuing Education playlist on YouTube for publicly-available recordings of past lectures.

Have a Request?

The seminars we offer on-demand will change over time. If there is a past online seminar recording you'd like to view, please let us know at [email protected]. We can't guarantee that we can meet your request, but your input will help us make decisions about what to offer next.

Download the SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics

In 1996, the SAA Executive Board adopted its Principles of Archaeological Ethics, and in 2016, membership voted to add a Principle No. 9. In 2018, the SAA Board created a series of task forces which culminated in a 2024 update to the Principles, which were adopted overwhelmingly by members on the January 2024 ballot. Download the most current SAA Principles of Archaeological Ethics [PDF 183 KB] to print or use for classrooms or training.