The NPS, through its NAGPRA compliance process, has engaged in extensive consultation with the seven nations traditionally affiliated with Mammoth Cave National Park.

This consultation process is ongoing — it is not a one-time negotiation but a sustained relationship between the park and the communities who have cultural connections to what is preserved inside the cave.

The current framing of the cave’s Indigenous history, as presented to visitors through tour interpretation and NPS educational materials, reflects the principles that NAGPRA codified.

The park’s language about the prehistoric discoveries acknowledges that “the discoveries were made many years ago, long before NAGPRA recognized that human remains of any ancestry must at all times be treated with dignity and respect,” and commits to consulting with tribal partners on how to share the facts of these stories in ways that respect their importance.

This is a significant departure from the framework that governed the 1935 discovery and its immediate aftermath.