Calls for Accountability After Discovery of Native American Remains at Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College's discovery of partial skeletal remains of 15 Native Americans in one of its collections has sparked calls for accountability and repatriation. Until the 20th century, archeologists, anthropologists, collectors, and curiosity seekers took Native remains and sacred objects during expeditions on tribal lands. The loss of the remains and cultural items caused significant pain for Native tribes. Critics complain that many institutions move too slowly in repatriating remains and funerary items once they’re discovered in their collections, often hiding behind a loophole in NAGPRA that allows them to label remains as culturally unidentifiable.