Tread lightly here.  Remember, she didn't have to tell anyone what she had.
I've worked for several archival institutions.  Unfortunately, the liability
for human remains often falls, or is percieved to fall on, the person who
has them in posession, not the person who dug them up.  The result is that
even professional institutions will lie about what they have or have
stumbled across to avoid trouble.

If authroities show up at her door because this lady spoke up, or worse, she
ends up with a lawsuit from the nearest tribe on her hands, do you think
anyone in her family, town, or the "artifact collecting" circles they
frequent is ever going to step up and do the right thing again?

Mara K.


> No one is permitted to "own" human remains unless specifically licensed by
> the state/fed government.  The license will only be granted to
repositories,
> such as archaeological labs.  The owner of the bowl/remains has already
> broken the law by having the human remains in her possession.  At my
museum,
> we would accept the donation and then turn the remains over to a license
> repository.  I doubt very much if this woman will take the time to contact
> other people to determine how to dispose of the items, especially since
she
> had wanted to throw them away.   I urge the museum to contact the
> appropriate government repository to determine how the matter should be
> resolved.
>

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