ABSTRACT
Working with and for Ancestors examines collaborative partnerships that have developed around the study and care of Indigenous ancestral human remains.
In the interest of reconciliation, museums and research institutions around the world have begun to actively seek input and direction from Indigenous descendants in establishing collections care and research policies. However, true collaboration is difficult, time-consuming, and sometimes awkward. By presenting examples of projects involving ancestral remains that are successfully engaged in collaboration, the book provides encouragement for scientists and descendant communities alike to have open and respectful discussions around the research and care of ancestral human remains. Key themes for discussion include new approaches to the care for ancestors; the development of culturally sensitive museum policies; the emergence of mutually beneficial research partnerships; and emerging issues such as those of intellectual property, digital data, and alternatives to destructive analyses. Critical discussions by leading scholars also identify the remaining challenges in the repatriation process and offer a means to continue moving forward.
This volume will appeal to a broad, interdisciplinary audience interested in collaborative research and management strategies that are aimed at developing mutually beneficial relationships between researchers and descendant communities. This includes students and researchers in archaeology, anthropology, museums studies, and Indigenous communities.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|57 pages
Building relationships
chapter 1|11 pages
Bearing witness
chapter 2|11 pages
Pathway to decolonizing collections of Ainu ancestral remains
chapter 3|13 pages
The Brandon Indian Residential School Cemetery Project
chapter 4|12 pages
Washington’s non-forensic human skeletal remains law and the state physical anthropologist
chapter 5|8 pages
Bii-azhe Ḡiiwé iná daanig (Let’s bring them home)
part 2|59 pages
Caring for the Ancestors
chapter 6|12 pages
Why we repatriate
part 3|65 pages
Learning from the Ancestors
chapter 13|12 pages
Building relationships to shift accountability
chapter 14|12 pages
Learning from Ancestors caring for Ancestors
chapter 15|12 pages
New insights from old dog bones
part 4|50 pages
Developing conversations
chapter 16|14 pages
The digital lives of Ancestors
chapter 18|8 pages
Provenancing Australian Aboriginal Ancestors
chapter 19|12 pages
Ancient human DNA
part 5|28 pages
Moving forward