Ethical Considerations for Human Remains in an International Context

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ethical Dilemmas in the Study and Care of Human Remains beyond North America" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In the United States, the repatriation of Native American ancestors has been ongoing for over 30 years, governed by the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). These laws do not apply to the remains of non-Native American individuals currently held in museum and university collections, leaving the remains of many thousands of people without statutory protections and requirements. New policies and programs for human remains in US museums have expanded repatriation work far beyond Native American ancestors, with growing advocacy for federal legislation modeled on NAGPRA to protect and return African American individuals in museum collections. Growing inquiries about remains of individuals from outside the United States emphasize the diversity of perspectives on human remains around the world. Here, we discuss the decades-long work on Native American repatriation by the Repatriation Office at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), as well as new efforts underway for non-Native American repatriation by the recently established Human Dignity program. Consent and consultation are foundational for work with non-Native American human remains under current NMNH policies, and we examine how they shape variable processes for their treatment, care, and return.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Ethical Dilemmas in the Study and Care of Human Remains beyond North America

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52110