Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
This project sought to understand the struggles currently faced with the repatriation of human remains using the United States and NAGPRA as the basis for understanding the cultural conflicts associated with the process. The use of DNA in repatriation is a widely discussed and argued topic in bioarcheology today and the ethical ambiguity is a contentious matter for government institutions, tribal authorities, cultural managers, and communities throughout the world. To some cultures the use of DNA analysis, which by design are invasive procedure, is a further invasion that goes against their cultural foundations. Excluding the views of the collection of DNA for purely evidence acquisition, which is common for academic stakeholders, there are Indigenous cultures that agree that the repatriation process is further aided using DNA when human remains are unprovenanced. This project examined the foundations of two groups, tribal communities, and scientific researchers, in the debate of using genomic techniques for repatriation. It also reviews genetic workshops that are currently being implemented to create a dialogue that allows for further genomic testing on unprovenanced human remains using Indigenous perspectives.
Mentor Name
Meradeth Snow
The Future of DNA Repatriation: Interaction, Dialogue and Creating Trust
UC North Ballroom
This project sought to understand the struggles currently faced with the repatriation of human remains using the United States and NAGPRA as the basis for understanding the cultural conflicts associated with the process. The use of DNA in repatriation is a widely discussed and argued topic in bioarcheology today and the ethical ambiguity is a contentious matter for government institutions, tribal authorities, cultural managers, and communities throughout the world. To some cultures the use of DNA analysis, which by design are invasive procedure, is a further invasion that goes against their cultural foundations. Excluding the views of the collection of DNA for purely evidence acquisition, which is common for academic stakeholders, there are Indigenous cultures that agree that the repatriation process is further aided using DNA when human remains are unprovenanced. This project examined the foundations of two groups, tribal communities, and scientific researchers, in the debate of using genomic techniques for repatriation. It also reviews genetic workshops that are currently being implemented to create a dialogue that allows for further genomic testing on unprovenanced human remains using Indigenous perspectives.