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Smithsonian Institution in the USA the world’s largest museum complex preserves 255 hundred African American and Native American brains collected without their consent in the early 20th century
Smithsonian Institution in the USA the world’s largest museum complex preserves 255 hundred African American and Native American brains collected without their consent in the early 20th century to promote racist theories, an investigation by The Washington Post showed this Monday.
call”collection of racial brains” was started in 1903 by the Czech researcher of the Smithsonian Institution Aleš Hrdlicka, who he considered whites superior and collected human remains to promote false theories about anatomical differences between races.
Washington Post Over the course of a year, he examined a collection of 30,700 bones and human remains held at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, including 255 brains.
These organs are stored in a building owned by a museum in Maryland, neighbor of the American capital.
60 percent human remains were compiled between 1903 and 1943, the period when Hrdlichka headed the anthropology department of the US National Museum, the predecessor of the current National Museum of Natural History.
Hrdlichka (1869-1943) is kept in the backyard of the Smithsonian Institution. bodies he acquired from hospitals, morgues and medical schools.
Photo: Facebook National University of Jorge Basadre Groman
Of the 74 brains collected by the researcher in the Washington area, 50 are classified by race. 35 correspond to African Americans.
The researcher was “viewed as an expert on race, evolution, and human variation, and believed that collecting body parts would help unravel the origins of people in America,” explains The Washington Post.
During the 40 years that Hrdlicka headed the anthropology department, a position he held until his death, he organized an international network of anthropologists, scientists, doctors and professors to collect human remains, the paper said.
majority remains have been removed from cemeteries, battlefields, hospitals and morgues in more than 80 countries without the consent of families explorers who searched the graves or hunted people who had no close relatives.
Photo: Pxfuel file
They seek to return the remains of the affected people
The Washington Post investigation also revealed that the Smithsonian is accumulating a lengthy delay when it comes to returning the remains to their descendants. Of the brains in the collection, only four have been returned.
Delivery of the remains requires a formal request from their relatives, which is very difficult given that many potential stakeholders are unaware of the existence of the collection.
While the paper was investigating, the Natural History Museum hired two people to investigate the treatment and return the human remains.
Smithsonian director Lonnie Bunch III, the first African American to lead the institute, apologized last April for the organization’s collection of human bodies and remains in the past.
This was announced by the press secretary of the institution Linda Thomas. EFE what the institute wants “identify 255 brains in the collection” and “return these remains.”
To this end, a panel of fifteen experts was formed last May and is due to submit a final report with recommendations at the end of December.
(EFE)
Source: Aristegui Noticias
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
