Hi all, I wanted to share this incredibly timely article on the use of "Native American DNA" and ancient DNA testing by the American Museum of Natural History on remains that were taken from Chaco Canyon. As an Indigenous geneticist colleague of mine said in regards to this story and the questionable ethics of the AMNH in this research:
"Studies using ancient indigenous DNA should not be done without tribal consultation." YES! I think this is just common sense and the respectful thing to do. There are a ton of tribes in the area for which these ruins have cultural significance. And who gave American Museum of Natural History authority over NAGPRA or tribal interests? Just because you dug up our ancestors does not mean you own them! The paternalism infuriates me. Granted, it's good that the authors are now attempting to consult with tribes. I hope that this gives future research studies some pause to maybe consider having conversations with tribes before publishing. Glad ethics is finally entering the picture. I fear that now we'll also get a rash of "I'm a Chaco princess". End rant
I too was pretty upset that the AMNH decided without consulting tribes that they had authority over these remains and they were empowered to make the decision about whose ancestors these remains would be. An examination of the intent of the law with NAGPRA would indicate that, as the author of this article notes, while they are technically not doing anything illegal, their treatment of this research is tone-deaf at best and knowingly unethical and manipulative at worst. This article speaks again to the way that Indigenous communities have to attempt to work within a paternalistic Western-centric legal framework in order to protect their own well-being.
Link to the article:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-dna-yields-unprecedented-insights-into-mysterious-chaco-civilization/?wt.mc=SA_Facebook-Share
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