MUSEUM REPATRIATES REMAINS TO COMANCHE AND KLAMATH INDIAN TRIBES

The National Museum of Health and Medicine recently returned human remains to the Comanche and Klamath Indian tribes under provisions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. The museum, which was founded in 1862 as the U.S. Army Medical Museum, received the remains in the 1870s as part of its collecting agenda.

Returned to the Comanche were the skulls of Eath-ath Qua-ha day (Red Bear), Tooh-Parrah Qua-ha day (Black Bear), and Yan-eth-ohis Qua-ha day (Wife of Black Bear). All had been shot in the head in May 1875 near Fort Richardson in Texas. Their skulls were received by the museum in October 1875 from U.S. Army Asst. Surgeon W. H. Forwood.

Returned to the Klamath was the skull of Sconchin, a former chief, who had been shot in Oregon or California in an unknown area referred to as "the lava beds." It was donated to the museum by J.D. Skinner in June 1873. Also returned to the Klamath were the throat bones from two males who had been hanged. These remains were prepared and presented to the museum by E.T. Parker in February 1874.

"According to accession records and a detailed assessment of the remains, we determined that the remains were of five individuals of Native American ancestry, and that there was a relationship of shared group identity that could be reasonably traced between three of the Native American human remains and the Comanche Indian Tribe and three of the Native American human remains and the Klamath Indian Tribe," said Lenore Barbian, Ph.D., assistant curator of the anatomical collection at the National Museum of Health and Medicine. "We're pleased to be able to complete the repatriations."

Following the repatriations, reburial ceremonies of the Comanche remains in Oklahoma and of the Klamath remains in Oregon are planned.