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TCETHR Questionnaire

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In establishing the Commission for the Ethical Treatment of Human Remains in 2022, the American Anthropological Association responded to an urgent call across the field of anthropology for institutional and professional accountability related to Ancestral remains in education and research collections, with special attention to standards and guidelines concerning the respectful care for all Ancestral remains (including osteological, soft tissue, and genetic materials, as well as samples of hair and blood), and funerary objects and belongings. This specifically includes, but is not limited to, African Americans and Native Americans who are housed in research collections at museums and academic institutions.

In June 2024, the Commission released a report based on an extensive review and analysis of current ethics policies, an interdisciplinary literature review, consultation with biological anthropologists, geneticists, and bioarchaeologists, and listening sessions with descendant communities nationally and internationally.

This survey is designed to elicit feedback on the recommendations found at the end of the report from The Commission for the Ethical Treatment of Human Remains.

Name
Email
Are you a member of the AAA?
Are you an anthropologist?
Have you conducted research with ancestral (human) remains?
Have you taught with ancestral (human) remains?
Have you taught about the histories, processes, and ethics surrounding ancestral remains in your classes?
Considering the following recommendations, culled from the TCETHR report, how important is each one on a scale from 1 to 5?
The AAA should issue a sincere apology for the historical and contemporary harms of anthropology with specific reference to the theft and use of ancestral remains, with acknowledgment of their continued implications.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should require an annual agreement to an “ethics pledge” for all its members.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should develop an “ethics portal” to which one could submit ethical questions or concerns, and which could provide consultations for those with ethical questions.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should require all journals in its portfolio to require authors who include data on ancestral remains to provide confirmation that they obtained detailed informed consent and permission from descendant communities to do any research and publish it. This should be noted in the Methods and in the Acknowledgments of the publication.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should sponsor an annual lecture and/or training session at their national meeting about how to work with Native American and African American descendant communities, as well as Indigenous communities globally, and about the ethical use of ancestral remains, or other ethical topics (including authorship, misconduct, etc.).
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should advocate for the renaming of collections of ancestral remains to avoid the continuation of honoring those individuals who unethically obtained these remains. Any renaming must be undertaken through collaboration with impacted communities.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA should develop detailed protocols for transparency and accountability in handling ancestral remains, such as censure or loss of membership for those who willfully disregard these principles.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The AAA and its members should strongly advocate for the development of ethical research and stronger legal protections for all ancestral remains. Any support for the development of new policies and legislation must include substantial representation from those individuals and groups most impacted by the laws, and consideration of Indigenous or descendant values and ethical codes.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
All those who handle ancestral remains must treat them with respect and should understand and disseminate the historical, cultural, and ethical context for the proper handling of the remains and associated belongings.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
All those who handle ancestral remains must ensure that their use does not harm the safety, dignity, or privacy of the living and deceased individuals with whom they work, conduct research, educate, or perform other professional activities.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
Curation of ancestral remains requires detailed informed consent, continued access to remains for community members, provenance recognition, and well-developed inventory procedures. Institutions that hold ancestral remains should ensure that information on their collections is transparently accessible to impacted communities and the public.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
The use of images and other digital materials derived from ancestral remains must be treated in the same respectful manner as the actual remains. This means that their use should be restricted to specific consented purposes, and that any use should remain confined to a protected, nonpublic space (and should never be displayed on social media or other non-password protected internet sites).
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important
All institutions that hold or work with ancestral remains are responsible and required to provide the physical and monetary resources necessary to treat those remains with the dignity and respect they deserve.
1 - Not at all important2 - Slightly important3 - Moderately important4 - Very important5 - Extremely important
1 - Not at all important
2 - Slightly important
3 - Moderately important
4 - Very important
5 - Extremely important

While we remain deeply saddened by the devastating impact of the recent hurricanes in Florida and wish for a swift recovery, the Tampa Convention Center and the hotels hosting our Annual Meeting in Tampa from November 20-23 have confirmed they are "open and fully operational." We look forward to supporting the residents of Tampa and seeing you there, either in person or virtually. View a list of organizations accepting donations in Florida.

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