The repatriation of culturally unidentifiable human remains

Chip Colwell · Rachel E. Maxson

28 citations0/0 files storedMuseum Management and Curatorship

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Cultural Identity and Heritage Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Indigenous Cultures and History

Abstract

For nearly two decades, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) left unresolved a complex problem: the fate of Native American human remains that could not be affiliated with federally recognized tribes. In the spring of 2010, the US Department of Interior finally promulgated regulations for the disposition of these remains, providing a pathway for the potential return of 115,000 human remains. This paper presents the work at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) to address culturally unaffiliated human remains in its collection. Since 2008, the DMNS has received three National Park Service NAGPRA grants to consult with 142 tribes on human remains from across the USA. Drawing from the lessons of these consultations, this paper examines the philosophical, logistical, legal, and ethical issues confronting museums as they seek to contend with the quandaries posed by these remains.

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References

2001Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, and the Battle for Native American Identity 2003Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA 2007Human remains : guide for museums and academic institutions 2017Bioarchaeology 2009Whose Culture?2001Repatriation Reader: Who Owns American Indian Remains?2004Grave Injustice: The American Indian Repatriation Movement and NAGPRA.2012The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act: Background and Legislative History

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2024The disposability and inclusion of Brown bodies 2023Restitution versus repatriation: Terminology and concepts matter 2024“To honor and remember”: An ethical awakening to African American remains in museums 2015Curating Ali`i Collections: Responsibility, Sensibility, and Contextualization in Hawai'i-Based Museums

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