The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) applies on federal lands and to federally funded institutions, but its application to ancient remains from archaeological sites — particularly remains old enough that cultural affiliation with any specific modern tribe cannot be established under the law’s standards — has been a source of ongoing legal and ethical debate.

The Upward Sun River site was excavated under permits from the relevant federal and state authorities.

The Native communities with traditional territory at and around the site — primarily Athabascan-speaking nations with historical and cultural connections to the Tanana Valley — were consulted as part of the research process.

The nature and extent of those consultations, and the specific concerns and perspectives that community representatives brought to them, shaped the way the research was conducted and the way the findings were communicated.

Ben Potter and his colleagues have described the consultation process as ongoing and respectful, with community members participating in discussions about the significance of the findings and the appropriate ways to communicate them publicly.