Dear Community Members,
In 2021, Teton Science Schools graduate students discovered ancestral remains in a storage closet at the Murie Museum. Teton Science Schools took steps to treat the remains with dignity and respect at all times and immediately sought outside expertise. Bernstein and Associates, a Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) consultant firm, helped us determine that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) had legal control and helped us facilitate a return of the ancestral remains to Alaska.
Following this 17-month process, the most up-to-date information was recently published and is available on the National NAGPRA Programs website under the Notices link or the direct link here. Teton Science Schools has no further information.
An apology was issued on behalf of Teton Science Schools to the affected Native Village for the treatment of their ancestors’ remains. It is at their discretion to share any information in the future.
Teton Science Schools has received inquiries regarding the discovery, and the details are accessible to the public on the Federal Register. In consideration of both the affected community and the Teton Science Schools community, we find it appropriate to issue a public statement.
To conduct the process with dignity and respect, we refrained from issuing a public statement during the initial discovery and contact phase with consultants and state and federal agencies. Teton Science Schools is grateful to all who have worked to move us through this process.
If you have any questions or concerns, please send them to communications@tetonscience.org.
Sincerely,
