WASHINGTON-Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton today announced the appointment of Colin C. Kippen to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee. The seven-member advisory committee is charged with monitoring, reviewing and assisting in the implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Kippen succeeds Vera Metcalf, whose term recently expired.

"I am delighted Colin Kippen has agreed to take on this important challenge," Norton said. "The committee serves a critical role in making recommendations to ensure the goals of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act are carried out."

Kippen currently serves as executive director of the Native Hawaiian Education Council in Honolulu, Hawaii. He previously served as senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, deputy administrator of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and chief tribal judge of the Suquamish tribe in Washington.

As a member of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Review Committee, Kippen joins other committee members, which include Garrick Bailey, Willie Jones, Dan L. Monroe, Lee Staples, Vincas P. Steponaitis, and Rosita Worl. Members of the committee are appointed for a four-year term.

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act was enacted in 1990 to address the rights of lineal descendants, Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony with which they are affiliated. The law requires federal agencies and museums to consult with tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations; provide summaries and inventories of their collections; and upon receipt of a valid claim, repatriate remains and cultural items to the appropriate parties. NAGPRA also provides additional protection for Native American cultural items discovered on federal or tribal lands.