The repatriation of culturally unidentifiable human remains

For nearly two decades, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA) left unresolved a complex problem: the fate of Native American human remains that could not be affiliated with federally recognized tribes. In the spring of 2010, the US Department of Interior finally promulgated regulations for the disposition of these remains, providing a pathway for the potential return of 115,000 human remains. This paper presents the work at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) to address culturally unaffiliated human remains in its collection. Since 2008, the DMNS has received three National Park Service NAGPRA grants to consult with 142 tribes on human remains from across the USA. Drawing from the lessons of these consultations, this paper examines the philosophical, logistical, legal, and ethical issues confronting museums as they seek to contend with the quandaries posed by these remains.