The SAA Releases Acknowledgment of Harms

May 05, 2022

The SAA has released an Acknowledgment of Harms. The Board thanks all the committees and members who have provided substantial feedback to help us begin this conversation.

The SAA board adopted a new “Statement Concerning the Treatment of Human Remains” in the spring of 2020. On December 9, 2021, several SAA board members and committee chairs took part in a listening session with members of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (NATHPO) to discuss the new statement on the treatment of human remains and other topics. NATHPO members asked if there could be an apology and acknowledgment of harm from the SAA. The SAA board agreed that such a statement is an important first step toward reconciling relationships 

between non-Native archaeologists and tribes. In that spirit, we developed a formal statement acknowledging harm

Read the full acknowledgment here.