Written by Katie Traversino and Edited by Josephine Chan
It is essential to study the history of human research to not only to prevent the repetition of unethical actions, but also to understand the current relationships between science and people of color, especially in the U.S.. The methods of sample collection in the United States often transgressed the rights of Native groups and Black communities by forcibly taking samples from these individuals. Before doctors and scientists had devised accurate biological models, like skeletons, it was not uncommon to have obtained these through grave robbing.
Grave robbing is the illegal action of removing objects or people from a burial site, for examples, if permission is not granted, archaeological excavations can also fall under this label. Before the establishment of body donation programs, many medical schools may have resorted to grave robbing to obtain cadavers for surgery practice. Universities and museums also sought to collect skeletons to either place on display or to use in scientific research. While it is important to have an accurate model to learn essential skills like amputation or accessing human bone samples for genetic analysis, many groups of people were adversely affected by these actions.
Deceased African Americans were the major targets of these as their bodies were easier to obtain due to attitudes about racism and economic disparities, both of which denied Black people a voice to fight back. Although grave robbing was illegal in the early 1900s, even prestigious schools like Baylor University of Dallas, Texas participated in the wrongful act [1]. This practice is evidenced by the empty gravesites in predominantly Black cemeteries and the incisions in reburied bodies that could have only been done using professional equipment. Additionally, some detailed records of their dissections have been recovered, as well as written agreements between medical institutions and the police to ensure immunity against lawsuits [1]. These acts displaced the bodies and stripped each person of their identity, rejecting Black people’s rights to a proper burial and sanctity in death.
Similarly, Native American burial sites have also been disrupted in the name of science. In the past, Indigenous remains were treated as an oddity used for tourism, personal collections, and unique exhibitions [2]. Culturally significant objects have often been dispersed around the world without permission from the Indigenous groups, with about two million native remains having been removed from their burial sites [3]. Currently, Native groups are of scientific interest for examining human history in the U.S. and disease inheritance patterns due to their low genetic diversity. However, the removal of human remains and significant objects transgresses the religious beliefs of many Indigenous groups. While many scientists view these items as scientific samples, these relics are sacred to the groups’ histories and thus should be left untouched.
In 1990, the U.S. government issued the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This act instituted legal regulations on human remains and objects of cultural significance for Indian Tribes or Native Hawaiian groups [4]. As a result, these Indigenous items cannot be relocated without a review committee’s approval and it is required that museums share thorough documentation of their collections with Native groups [4]. Unfortunately, this bill has been generally ineffective due to underfunding, lack of enforcement, application only to federally-recognized groups, and excludes objects considered essential for scientific research [4]. The struggle between determining what is common property for scientific research and what are private relics of cultural significance belonging remains ambiguous.. It is important that the science community respects all groups of people, particularly Native groups before trying to further scientific knowledge. Furthermore, ethics and science research must work in tandem to prevent transgressions like those of the past.
References:
- Davidson, J.M. (2007). “Resurrection Men” in Dallas: The Illegal Use of Black Bodies as Medical Cadavers (1900-1907). International Journal Historical Archaeology. 11:193-220.
- Bieder, R.E. (1990). A Brief Historical Survey of the Expropriation of American Indian Remains. Indiana, Indiana University, 1990
- Ritchie, L. (2005). Indian Burial Sites Unearthed: The Misapplication of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Public Land and Resources Law Review. 26.
- Kelsey, P., Carpenter, C. (2011). “In the End, Our Message Weighs”: Blood Run, NAGPRA, and American Indian Identity. American Indian Quarterly,35: 56-74.