Abstract:Archaeologists strive to understand ancient lifeways, and bioarchaeological data provide honest and immutable evidence of the realities of ancient society in the bodies of the dead. Given the importance of human remains in the archaeological record, a major component of the author's work has been devoted to the ethical responsibilities of bioarchaeologists in the treatment of the collections studied. However, the curation of skeletal remains is often challenging because the conservation and storage of these de… Show more
“…For each step we summarize its importance and relevance to NAGPRA, AAGPRA, and collections work generally; provide some suggestions for specific tasks to target based on the lessons from NAGPRA (the “whats”); and discuss possible methods of accomplishing those tasks in support of a future AAGPRA (the “hows”). In summarizing what we considered to be the crucial phases of this model, we leaned heavily on the expertise and existing work of many scholars, incorporating their experiences and suggestions into an approach that we hope will empower others on their repatriation journeys (for further reading, see Bauer-Clapp and Kirakosian 2017; Benden and Taft 2019; Gupta et al 2023; MacFarland and Vokes 2016; Meister 2019; Miller Wolf 2019; Teeter et al 2021; Thompson et al 2023). FIGURE 1.The START model.…”
Section: The Start Modelmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Compounding the horror of this situation are recent revelations about the forensic evaluation of and subsequent investigations into the identity of the remains believed to be those of Katricia Dotson (also known as Tree Africa), one of five children killed in the Philadelphia police bombing of the MOVE headquarters in 1985. In 2021 circulating reports asserted that the remains of Katricia, and possibly of Melissa Orr (Delisha Africa), were being held at the Penn Museum, studied without the knowledge or consent of their parents and used as teaching aids in university courses (Dickey 2022;Dunnavant et al 2021;Heim et al 2022;Miles 2022;Pratt et al 2021;Tucker Law Group 2022). This underscores the reality that the acquisition of African American remains is not merely a result of past archaeological or anthropological collecting, which we so readily disregard as outdated practice; it is ongoing, and without question, unresolved.…”
For nearly a decade, there has been recognition of the need for an African American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (AAGPRA) or similar legislation. Experiences from implementing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) have shed light on challenges that prevent practitioners from achieving the informed, respectful, and expeditious return of remains. Given the likelihood of federal legislation addressing the repatriation of persons of African descent and acknowledging the hurdles that practitioners may face if and when it is passed, we offer a practical model, START, to reorient our understanding of success to recognizing that incremental progress is still forward movement. The model is organized into five stages and is presented with context from NAGPRA, along with suggested steps that practitioners can take at each stage to help build on their success. The START model is a straightforward and practical checklist approach that helps practitioners recognize the victories achieved in small steps that could be hidden or prevented by misguided but well-intentioned attempts at perfection. It is directly applicable to preparation for repatriation but has utility for any curation or collections management context.
“…For each step we summarize its importance and relevance to NAGPRA, AAGPRA, and collections work generally; provide some suggestions for specific tasks to target based on the lessons from NAGPRA (the “whats”); and discuss possible methods of accomplishing those tasks in support of a future AAGPRA (the “hows”). In summarizing what we considered to be the crucial phases of this model, we leaned heavily on the expertise and existing work of many scholars, incorporating their experiences and suggestions into an approach that we hope will empower others on their repatriation journeys (for further reading, see Bauer-Clapp and Kirakosian 2017; Benden and Taft 2019; Gupta et al 2023; MacFarland and Vokes 2016; Meister 2019; Miller Wolf 2019; Teeter et al 2021; Thompson et al 2023). FIGURE 1.The START model.…”
Section: The Start Modelmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Compounding the horror of this situation are recent revelations about the forensic evaluation of and subsequent investigations into the identity of the remains believed to be those of Katricia Dotson (also known as Tree Africa), one of five children killed in the Philadelphia police bombing of the MOVE headquarters in 1985. In 2021 circulating reports asserted that the remains of Katricia, and possibly of Melissa Orr (Delisha Africa), were being held at the Penn Museum, studied without the knowledge or consent of their parents and used as teaching aids in university courses (Dickey 2022;Dunnavant et al 2021;Heim et al 2022;Miles 2022;Pratt et al 2021;Tucker Law Group 2022). This underscores the reality that the acquisition of African American remains is not merely a result of past archaeological or anthropological collecting, which we so readily disregard as outdated practice; it is ongoing, and without question, unresolved.…”
For nearly a decade, there has been recognition of the need for an African American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (AAGPRA) or similar legislation. Experiences from implementing the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) have shed light on challenges that prevent practitioners from achieving the informed, respectful, and expeditious return of remains. Given the likelihood of federal legislation addressing the repatriation of persons of African descent and acknowledging the hurdles that practitioners may face if and when it is passed, we offer a practical model, START, to reorient our understanding of success to recognizing that incremental progress is still forward movement. The model is organized into five stages and is presented with context from NAGPRA, along with suggested steps that practitioners can take at each stage to help build on their success. The START model is a straightforward and practical checklist approach that helps practitioners recognize the victories achieved in small steps that could be hidden or prevented by misguided but well-intentioned attempts at perfection. It is directly applicable to preparation for repatriation but has utility for any curation or collections management context.
“…Miller Wolf's (2019) article describes a decade-long project to curate, document, and rehouse the largest collection of human skeletal remains ( n = 1,200) recovered in Mesoamerica to date at Copan, Honduras. She details the complexities involved with curating an archaeological collection in Honduras and similar locations, including bureaucracy, unstable sociopolitics, limited funding, inconsistent and/or lack of field documentation, inadequate storage facilities, infestation of pests, and a tropical environment.…”
The articles in this issue present bioarchaeological case studies from across the globe, including North and Central America, East Asia, Europe, and the Near East. Some bioarchaeology projects are new and others are decades old, but common challenges emerge as researchers apply conservation standards to real situations in the field: a lack of training or resources for long-term curation of human remains, the lag between excavation and analysis of remains, and environmental challenges that include melting permafrost, tropical storms, and a variety of pests such as molds, fungi, bats, snakes, and insects. The studies also address ethical considerations about the use of digital images of human remains, molecular and isotopic methods that require the destruction of human tissue samples, the ability of fast-paced cultural resource management (CRM) projects to address the needs of descendant communities, and the responsibility that we have to the people we study. Techniques for addressing these challenges include new computer programs, more advanced photographic software, and research on the effects of conservation techniques that provide new “standards” for bioarchaeologists. We highlight the importance of each contribution and discuss the future of conservation in bioarchaeology.
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