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Contemporary Museum Policies and the Ethics of Accepting Human Remains
Author(s) -
Edgar Heather J.H.,
Rautman Anna L.M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
curator: the museum journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.312
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2151-6952
pISSN - 0011-3069
DOI - 10.1111/cura.12064
Subject(s) - enforcement , perspective (graphical) , law , political science , state (computer science) , sociology , history , art , algorithm , computer science , visual arts
The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology has a policy of accepting all offered human remains into its collections. These remains come from law enforcement agencies and private persons. By accepting Native American and other human remains, the museum assumes all associated legal, ethical, and financial obligations, including complying with NAGPRA regulations and state laws regarding archaeological human remains. However, many museums are ill equipped to accept responsibility for—or have policies against—accepting human remains. There are costs and benefits associated with accepting human remains and associated objects that each museum must consider. We explain the perspective of the Maxwell Museum in its continuing policy of accepting human remains and NAGPRA objects, and explore the consequences of that decision. We also present the results of a survey concerning museums' policies on and experiences with accepting new collections of human remains and artifacts.