While forensic anthropology has recently begun to recognize a need for a culturally sensitive approach to training and research, many institutions actively make use of unrepatriated remains of Native American and individuals whose use...
moreWhile forensic anthropology has recently begun to recognize a need for a culturally sensitive approach to training and research, many institutions actively make use of unrepatriated remains of Native American and individuals whose use within education and research today is ethically questionable (e.g. compared to individuals and groups whose skeletal donation was given explicit self- or next-of-kin consent). While there is a known responsibility to notify and return Native American remains through NAGPRA, these collections often continue to be used in educational settings. Due to the complex nature of relationships between faculty and trainees, along with the political and legal issues that accompany careers in the academy, enacting change that leads to repatriation can be extraordinarily difficult.
The continued use of Native American and individuals whose acquisition was ethically questionable, or whose tribal affiliation warrants further investigation within collections in anthropology, has been argued as a necessity, citing limited resources for research and teaching as reason1. While the use of these collections can continue with explicit permission and communication with the ancestral communities of the descendants, the problem arises in the refusal to begin the process of seeking permission. Additionally, non-Native remains which may have been collected through unethical means, by current standards, are often overlooked with many failing to question the ethics behind their acquisition. The use of historic and prehistoric samples in the development of forensic methods has been proven to be counterproductive, as current needs within the field require these methods to be modified for modern populations2.
This presentation seeks to bring awareness to the field regarding the active oversight of forensic anthropologists in the repatriation of Native American and other non-ethically sourced individuals/groups. With the advent of digital collections as well as physical ones comprised of modern individuals, it is clear that there are viable alternatives for research which can be utilized. Collections such as the William M. Bass, the New Mexico Decedent Image Database, and The Skeletal Series at Western Michigan University have developed collections consisting of consenting individual donors or next-of-kin donations, showing this can be done.
It is in the benefit of practicing forensic anthropologists to hold each other and their institutions accountable in the use of these collections and work towards more ethically sourced donations. This presentation will highlight the issues within modern anthropological skeletal collections and the resources and path forward to decolonizing collections.
