Report: UC Berkeley’s Anthropology Department Used Native American Remains

For decades, anthropology professors at UC Berkeley have used boxes of stored bones to teach their students. Instructors and students were never sure where the bones came from — until now.

A report from ProPublica has concluded that the remains belong to at least 95 people, likely Native Americans, whose bodies were excavated from burial sites.

“The collection has exposed deep rifts at UC Berkeley, pitting a prominent professor who said he’s done nothing wrong against university administrators who have apologized to tribes for not sharing information about the remains sooner,” according to ProPublica.

By law, universities that receive federal funding are required to report any human remains in their possession, but UC Berkeley hasn’t always complied in a timely manner. According to ProPublica, the university still has an estimated 9,000 indigenous remains in its Anthropology Department museum. 

The revelations about the bones have further upset indigenous students, who already had complaints about their treatment.

Read the report from ProPublica here.