Best Practice Recommendations for the Treatment of “Discovered” Human Remains Lacking Provenance

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In recent years there have been a number of high-profile cases where human remains were “discovered” resulting in media attention due to the unethical conditions in which the remains were encountered. Unfortunately, the discovery of human remains lacking provenance in academic laboratories or museum archives is common, particularly after staff turnover or structural reorganization within an institution. While the details and excuses for these incidents vary, in all cases the origins of these poorly treated remains are misconduct on behalf of the individual(s) who accepted and mistreated the remains, and potentially on the institution through a failure of accountability and quality assurance practices. Regardless of the circumstances of the discovered human remains, this presentation seeks to provide guidance for what to do when human remains lacking provenance are encountered. The importance of reporting (both internally and externally), documentation, and analysis to ensure proper final disposition is paramount. It is also vital for individuals to recognize their limitations as experts and to contact the appropriate legal authority to avoid continued unacceptable treatment and liability for mishandling the remains. These recommendations are based on the ethical principles of nonmalfeasance, respect for persons, scientific integrity, stewardship, transparency, and truth-telling.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37958.0