The Peabody Museum at Harvard announced on November 10th that a collection of hair samples from Native American children, including samples from the Ute Indian Tribe, are being returned to the families and tribal nations of the children. Between 1930 and 1933, anthropologist George Edward Woodbury gathered the samples that he then donated to the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. The vast majority were taken from living people, including clippings of hair from approximately 700 Native American children attending U.S. Indian Boarding Schools. The museum estimates that there are 300 tribal nations represented in the 700 youth. The Bureau of Indian Affairs: Uintah and Ouray Agency in Fort Duchesne, Utah is listed as a gathering site. Jane Pickering, the director of the museum, stated: “We recognize that for many Native American communities, hair holds cultural and spiritual significance and the Museum is fully committed to the return of hair back to families and tribal communities.”
Photo credit Peabody Museum
