A recent article in the journal Science urges researchers to consider including Indigenous communities in the robbing of their graves to harvest their genes for study.
“I know it sounds radical but think of Indigenous Peoples as humans, not just genetic material,” the article states. “When you start digging up their ancestor’s graves, you might even want to let them hold a shovel —they’ll love it.”
While the article never once mentions consent, it does call including Indigenous communities in scientific grave-robbing a ‘win-win’ situation and recommends throwing little grave-digging parties or even inviting community elders to witness the desecration of their ancestors graves.