A new task force will examine Smithsonian policy on human remains in its collections
Secretary Bunch announced the formation of the task force to supplement last year’s Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns policy.
Last year the Smithsonian enacted a Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns policy allowing shared stewardship arrangements for collections or the return of collections based on ethical considerations. We recognized then that additional policies were needed for the human remains in our care. Accordingly, we have formed a task force to promote respectful engagement with descendants and descendant communities and to develop a pan-Smithsonian policy on the ethical acquisition, care, use and disposition of human remains.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian was founded in 1989 with a mission to respect and honor the autonomy of Indigenous communities. Since its founding, the museum has been a leader in the ethical treatment and repatriation of not only the human remains in its collections, but also artifacts of religious and other significance to their communities. The National Museum of Natural History implemented an international repatriation policy in 2015, and in 2020, a policy for the return of culturally unaffiliated Indigenous remains. Since the National Museum of the American Indian Act was passed by Congress in 1989, the Smithsonian has successfully repatriated remains belonging to more than 5,000 individuals, but we have much more to do. The new task force will develop a policy that addresses all human remains held by any Smithsonian organization.
We recognize certain collection practices of the Smithsonian’s past were unethical. What was once standard in the museum field is no longer acceptable. We acknowledge and apologize for the pain our historical practices have caused people, their families and their communities, and I look forward to the conversations this initiative will generate in helping us perform our cutting-edge research in a manner that is consistent with our long history of scholarship and conforms to the highest ethical standard.
The task force is co-chaired by Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science and Research, and Kevin Gover, Under Secretary for Museums and Culture, and includes Smithsonian employees and outside experts, including anthropologists and leaders in related fields. We will share the members of the complete task force in the coming weeks.
El año pasado el Smithsonian promulgó una política sobre la custodia compartida y las devoluciones éticas que permite arreglos para la custodia compartida de las colecciones, o la devolución de colecciones, basado en consideraciones éticas. Reconocimos entonces que se necesitaban políticas adiciónales para tratar los restos humanos bajo nuestro cuidado. Por eso formamos un grupo de trabajo para promover un diálogo respetuoso con los descendientes y las comunidades descendientes y para desarrollar una política a través del Smithsonian sobre la adquisición, el cuidado, el uso y la disposición éticos de los restos humanos.
El Museo Nacional del Indígena Americano del Smithsonian fue fundado en 1989 con la misión de respetar y honrar la autonomía de las comunidades indígenas. Desde su fundación, el museo ha liderado el trato ético y la repatriación, no solo de los restos humanos en sus colecciones, sino también de los artefactos de significado religioso y demás para sus comunidades. El Museo Nacional de Historia Natural implementó una política de repatriación internacional en 2015, y en 2020 una política para devolver los restos indígenas sin afiliación cultural. Desde que el Congreso pasó el acta del Museo Nacional del Indígena Americano en 1989, el Smithsonian ha repatriado exitosamente los restos pertenecientes a más de 5.000 individuos, pero aún hay más por hacer. El nuevo grupo de trabajo desarrollará una política que tratará todos los restos humanos bajo el cuidado de cualquier parte del Smithsonian.
Reconocemos que ciertas prácticas de recolección en el pasado del Smithsonian eran poco éticas. Lo que antes era la norma en el campo de la museología ya no es aceptable. Admitimos y nos disculpamos por el dolor que nuestras prácticas anteriores han causado a las personas, sus familias y sus comunidades, y espero con interés las conversaciones que esta iniciativa generará al ayudarnos a realizar nuestra investigación de vanguardia de una manera consistente con nuestra larga historia de erudición, conforme al más alto estándar ético.
El grupo de trabajo es codirigido por Ellen Stofan, subsecretaria de ciencia e investigación, y Kevin Gover, subsecretario de museos y cultura, e incluye a empleados del Smithsonian y expertos externos, incluidos antropólogos y líderes en campos relacionados. Compartiremos la lista completa de miembros del grupo de trabajo en las próximas semanas.
Lonnie G. Bunch III is the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and is the first historian to be Secretary of the Institution.
As a biological anthropologist I feel the work of the task force is an important step towards reconciliation on issues of racial and social justice. However, I object to the use of this bone image accompanying the news piece. These remains are not part of SI collections and have been returned to the lending agency after identification and analysis of the remains. They tell a story about who this person was and what they experienced, but none of that information is presented in this article. As shown here, it is simply using the bone picture to draw unwanted attention. The image is not credited nor to my knowledge was permission sought to use this image – either through our office who conducted the work, or through Jamestown Rediscovery. In this current environment where context is crucial, the use of this image was perhaps not fully considered.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment. I have removed the image in question* because you are right: There is a dissonance between publishing an article about the need for a policy for the ethical and respectful treatment of human remains in our collections and then illustrating it with an image of…human remains. I think this dissonance demonstrates the need for such a policy. As you well know, the treatment and collection of human remains is the subject of ongoing discussion in the fields of cultural anthropology and what once was known as physical anthropology. I apologize for my own unthinking lapse not only in scientific decorum, but also in simple good taste. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.
I welcome comments, criticism, clarifications, any and all contributions from readers—we’re all part of the same community with the same mission. Excelsior!
* As described in the comment above, the image was of a partial cranium with other bones excavated at the site of the original Ft. Jamestown by the Jamestown Recovery project.
As a biological anthropologist I feel the work of the task force is an important step towards reconciliation on issues of racial and social justice. However, I object to the use of this bone image accompanying the news piece. These remains are not part of SI collections and have been returned to the lending agency after identification and analysis of the remains. They tell a story about who this person was and what they experienced, but none of that information is presented in this article. As shown here, it is simply using the bone picture to draw unwanted attention. The image is not credited nor to my knowledge was permission sought to use this image – either through our office who conducted the work, or through Jamestown Rediscovery. In this current environment where context is crucial, the use of this image was perhaps not fully considered.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment. I have removed the image in question* because you are right: There is a dissonance between publishing an article about the need for a policy for the ethical and respectful treatment of human remains in our collections and then illustrating it with an image of…human remains. I think this dissonance demonstrates the need for such a policy. As you well know, the treatment and collection of human remains is the subject of ongoing discussion in the fields of cultural anthropology and what once was known as physical anthropology. I apologize for my own unthinking lapse not only in scientific decorum, but also in simple good taste. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.
I welcome comments, criticism, clarifications, any and all contributions from readers—we’re all part of the same community with the same mission. Excelsior!
* As described in the comment above, the image was of a partial cranium with other bones excavated at the site of the original Ft. Jamestown by the Jamestown Recovery project.