Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory, College of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Am J Phys Anthropol. 2021 Jun;175(2):339-349. doi: 10.1002/ajpa.24171. Epub 2020 Nov 28.
The issues addressed in this article are those related to the bioethical actions and decisions surrounding the excavation of the New York African Burial Ground (NYABG) in the 1990s, the significance of conducting research on historical African/African American remains, and the eminence of protecting newly discovered African American burial sites in the future for research purposes.
Skeletal (n = 419, at the time of excavation) and soil (n = 92) remains of the 17th and 18th century New York African Burial Ground were used to discuss the necessity of research on historical African/African American remains.
Studying the remains of enslaved Africans is critical to understanding the biological processes and existence of all people. Researching the NYABG site, the oldest and largest burial site of free and enslaved Africans, illuminates the necessity and significance of scientific research on other historical African/African American cemeteries throughout the nation. The results of future research will provide a more profound sense of identity for a group of people who were forcefully severed from their genetic and cultural origins. This research will increase the representation of African descended people in genomic, anthropological, and cultural research, and ultimately help researchers to learn more about the origins of all humans.
本文讨论了 20 世纪 90 年代在纽约非洲人埋葬地（NYABG）挖掘过程中涉及的生物伦理行为和决策问题、对历史上非裔/非裔美国人遗骸进行研究的重要性，以及未来出于研究目的保护新发现的非裔美国人墓地的重要性。
本文使用了 17 至 18 世纪纽约非洲人埋葬地的骨骼（挖掘时为 419 具，n=419）和土壤（n=92）遗骸，讨论了研究历史上非裔/非裔美国人遗骸的必要性。
研究被奴役的非洲人的遗骸对于了解所有人类的生物过程和存在至关重要。研究 NYABG 遗址，这个美国最大、最古老的自由和被奴役的非洲人埋葬地，可以阐明对全国其他历史上的非裔/非裔美国人墓地进行科学研究的必要性和重要性。未来的研究结果将为一群被强行切断与遗传和文化根源的人提供更深层次的认同感。这项研究将增加非洲裔人群在基因组、人类学和文化研究中的代表性，并最终帮助研究人员更多地了解所有人类的起源。
