Biological Samples are Subject to Repatriation: Using NAGPRA as an Example Framework

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Biological samples collected from the physical remains of Indigenous Ancestors have been regarded by institutions and researchers as an inanimate resource, independent of the individual from whom they were removed. These Ancestral samples are used in destructive archaeometric research such as paleogenomic and stable isotope analyses without consultation, consent, and collaboration from Indigenous communities; are not cared for in keeping with the current best practices for Indigenous Ancestors; and are not likely to be repatriated to their communities. Here, we illustrate how biological samples removed from Ancestors must also be treated as “human remains” in the context of repatriation policies, such as the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) legislation in the United States. Applying this framework in a broader international repatriation context, we discuss best practices for institutions and researchers analyzing biological samples from Indigenous Ancestors to restore relationships between biological samples and the Ancestors from whom they were collected.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Reimagining Repatriation: Providing Frameworks for Inclusive Cultural Restitution

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow