Policy and practice in the treatment of archaeological human remains in North American museums and public agency collections

Abstract

Claims for control of archaeological resources have increased and now come from a wider range of groups. Claims for control of archaeological resources have increased and now come from a wider range of groups. When considering only human remains reported as “Native American,” the total number is approximately 152,000 set of individual remains. These remains are reported from over 1,000 museums that receive federal funding and public agency offices. In the United States, the largest number of human remains removed from archaeological sites and in agency and museum collections are Native American. The legal regulation of treatment of recently deceased human remains generally is not a matter of national law. National Park Service policies allow for study of human remains from archaeological sites with some conditions being placed on such studies. In the United States, the National Park Service has written policies on the display of human remains in exhibits at park units.