Year of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

Anthropology (Forensic Anthropology Option)

Department or School/College

Department of Anthropology

Committee Chair

Meradeth Snow

Commitee Members

Gregory Campbell, Kelly Dixon, Annjeanette Belcourt, Shane Doyle

Keywords

Blackfeet, DNA, Indigenous, NAGPRA, Native American, Repatriation

Abstract

This research project aimed to investigate modern DNA extraction and analysis techniques to establish familial connections between unidentified Indigenous skeletal remains and contemporary Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet) members. It sought to address the challenge posed by culturally unaffiliated remains found in educational institutions, museums, U.S. and Canadian residential school cemeteries, and other archaeological collections worldwide, which may have belonged to displaced Amskapi Pikuni relatives. The primary objective was to support the repatriation of Amskapi Pikuni human remains through DNA analysis, enabling the Tribe to compare unidentified remains from various collections.

For skeletal remains identified as potentially Native American/Indigenous, specifically from the Blackfeet Tribe, forensic and molecular anthropological methodologies, including a non-destructive DNA extraction approach, were employed to generate a biological profile for one set of human remains that has resided in the University of Montana’s Forensic Closet (UMFC) since 1985. In collaboration with the Blackfeet Nation and with approval from the Blackfeet Nation Institutional Review Board (BNIRB) and the University of Montana’s IRB, buccal swab samples were collected from 108 volunteer Blackfeet Tribal members. Using Qiagen’s QIAmp DNA Investigator and ForenSeq Kintelligence HT kits, these samples underwent DNA extraction and analysis using the MiSeq FGx technology. SNP (single-nucleotide polymorphism) comparisons were made to identify shared genotypes between the modern Blackfeet participants and the unidentified ancestral remains. The matches found provided a means to establish connections with the Blackfeet Tribe, aid the repatriation of the remains, and support further studies aimed at identifying the individual.

This initiative led to the establishment of the Blackfeet Rematriation DNA Database (BRDD), which contains the DNA profiles of all volunteer Blackfeet participants and of the unidentified individual(s). Upon the project's completion, all genetic data were returned to the Blackfeet Tribe for ongoing use, to support future repatriation efforts involving unidentified human remains (UHR) and addressing forensic cases involving missing individuals.

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© Copyright 2025 Haley K. Omeasoo