If you are preparing an #archaeology course syllabus for the Fall semester, now is the time to include a section on the ethics of #consultation & #repatriation. Do not teach it as a debate, this is not 1989. Teach it as decolonize practice that we are all responsible for.

Don’t teach the Elgin Marbles and The Ancient One (Kennewick Man) and move on. Those are examples of how awful repatriation can be when “scientists” and “heritage professionals” act out of ignorance and ego. Teach the repatriations that went well and built relationships.

Don’t include images of ancestors (human remains) or objects not intended to be seen by outsiders. Tell your class why it is unethical to titillate audiences with the “taboo”.

If you need a guest speaker to help educate yourself and your students, invite a tribal historic preservation officer from a tribe or nation on whose land your school occupies. That will build relationships and lead to better things.