Pasatiempo, New Mexico Weekly Magazine of Arts, 8/20-26 The U.S. government recognized the rights of Native Americans through the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) 14 years ago. Progress in carrying out the act has been slow. Thomas Killion, chair of the Wayne State Anthropology department, said the act had been expanded to cover more than human remains and now includes "sacred objects" central to Native American culture and religion. "The category 'cultural patrimony' includes items that are emblems of the group and its identity…" said Killion. "We compare it to the U.S. Constitution, which is preserved as an icon of our nationhood." Killion said many objects held by museums were critical to the organization of Native American political groups and were returned because they were "defining objects and that their loss struck hard at the identity of the group."