Can A Skeleton Heal Rift Between Native Americans, Scientists?

Mistrust and rancor often mark relations between Native Americans and scientists who study the arrival and spread of the first humans into the New World. Researchers eager for data on the distant past can rankle tribes that demand respect for the bones of potential ancestors. But after almost a quarter century of accusations and legal battles, there are signs of a thaw in relations that could benefit both sides.

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“Everything between these two groups has been problematic,” says Kim TallBear, a member of South Dakota’s Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe and an anthropologist at the University of Texas at Austin. “This marks progress,” she says of the agreement.

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