
University of Michigan Completes Polices For Handling Native American Human Remains
January 17th, 2012
The University of Michigan says it has completed a formal set of policies and procedures for handling Native American human remains and cultural objects that are part of its museum collections. The Michigan Daily reports the announcement came after years of discussion between the Ann Arbor school and tribes. In 2010, the U.S. Interior Department updated rules on handling remains that aren’t linked to a particular contemporary tribe. Tribes had faulted the school’s compliance with the 1990 federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The school had formed a committee to review its policies on handling Indian bones and artifacts. Details of the policy are posted on the school’s research website.