History in the News - 'Racial Brain Collection' and the overwhelmingly grim work of Alex Hrdlicka
This story showed up in my feed and social media several times over the last week or so with kind of tenuous connections and I finally took the time today to dig into the story more. Deep breath.
Here and Here Washpo articles - Revealing the Smithsonian’s ‘Racial Brain Collection’ (large number of documents and evidence included in the article)
Which then led to this article connecting the Washpo information …
Here - Searching for Maura (visual storytelling)
Maura came to St. Louis from the Philippines to be put on display at the 1904 World’s Fair. Records suggest that, after her death, a Smithsonian anthropologist took part of her brain.
…to this post from Peter Pappas in the Network
Here - How the St. Louis World’s Fair Celebrated America by Dehumanizing Others
A post in the Network from Peter Pappas (for folks outside the TPS Teachers Network, it can be found here)
The person I would like to highlight in all of this is named Alex Hrdlicka. From the Washpo Article
In 1903, Ales Hrdlicka (hurd-lich-kuh), an anthropologist and curator for the U.S. National Museum, the predecessor to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, started what he referred to as the “racial brain collection.” Hrdlicka believed that White people were superior and collected body parts to further now-debunked theories about anatomical differences between races.
He was widely viewed as an expert on race, evolution and human variation and believed that collecting body parts would help with the discovery of the origins of people in the Americas. He was featured in newspapers frequently, and his beliefs influenced U.S. government policies on race.
It continues
Over the 40 years in which Hrdlicka led the physical anthropology division at the Smithsonian, he recruited and built an international network of anthropologists, scientists, doctors and professors to collect body parts on his behalf, records show. Hrdlicka and the Smithsonian sometimes purchased the remains, or reimbursed donors for the cost of shipping body parts to Washington, records show.
Of the more than 30,700 human remains that the museum still holds in storage, more than 19,000 — or about 62 percent — were collected while Hrdlicka was head of the physical anthropology division, according to a Post analysis.
I’m not going to go into more detail than this here but I encourage you to read through the information and (unfortunately) get a glimpse into a very dark chapter of history.
Museums are holding onto a vast collection of body parts that were taken, often, under less than reputable conditions. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is one example of how important it is for accountability to be brought to bear but it is disheartening to know that although the law is in place, institutions are not proceeding with all due speed to comply with the law.
There is much reflection and correction needed in the world pertaining to the legacy of a man like Hrdlicka and the institutions that supported his work.
Where you will see Alex Hrdlicka in loc.gov
The Daily Alaska empire (Juneau, Alaska), May 19, 1936, Page 7
Curator and Four Other Scientists on Yukon Bound Westward will travel aboard the Coast Chelan for a cruise to the Western Aleutians Excavation Site. The remains being excavated on Kodiak Island, discovered by Dr.Hrdlicka in 1931 while traveling from the Bristol Bay and Iliamna regions, comprise a village occupying about four acres of area with "outskirts" covering an additional four acres.
The Daily Alaska empire (Juneau, Alaska), May 25, 1937
Dr. Hrdlicka Arrives on Northland Leaves Soon on Expedition
Working against time in an effort to retrieve that which the ages have both preserved and destroyed. Dr. Alex Hrdlicka has arrived in Juneau and leaves soon, commencing a scientific survey trip encompassing various historic points in the Territory.
The Wilmington morning star (Wilmington, N.C.), September 6, 1943, (FINAL EDITION)
World-Famous Anthropologist Was 74 Years Of Age - WASHINGTON, Sept. 5
Dr. Alex Hrdlicka, famous anthropologist died today at his home. He was 74. Dr. Hrdlicka was a native of Bohemia and came to this country at the age of 13 and became one of the world’s most noted authorities on mankind's history and development.
Almost all of the LOC search returns related to him are in newspaper accounts of his work.
There’s a ton to unpack here and my mind is honestly reeling to get around some of it - but here are some initial questions.
What is the connection between NAGPRA, the ‘Racial Brain Collection’ and the story of Henrietta Lacks?
Why does it seem to take *so long* to hold institutions accountable for past bad acts?
What action would be appropriate to deal with the mess of the Smithsonian collection?
Are there safeguards now in place to prevent these types of exploitation and theft? If so, what? If not, what are some recommendations?
