Remains of 15 Native American individuals discovered in College’s collections

BY The Dartmouth Senior Staff

This article was originally published on March 28, 2023.

Following a series of internal reinventories, the College announced on Tuesday that the Hood Museum of Art and the anthropology department discovered the skeletal remains of 15 Native American individuals in their collections.

Two osteological reviews by College staf, as well as an ongoing, external audit by forensic anthropologists and archeologists, uncovered “the skeletal remains of 15 individuals identifed as Native American,” the statement wrote, adding that 100 bones without a Hood Museum accession number, or catalog number, were fagged as “potentially problematic.” According to anthropology records, some of the discovered bones were a part of human osteology teaching labs as recently as fall 2022.

A number of faws in the College’s catalog and inventory system revealed that human remains in Dartmouth’s collections — which were initially believed to be of non-Native origin — were indeed Native American.

The College wrote that it is “actively pursuing” repatriation as dictated by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, a federal law that mandates the return of sacred objects, human remains and other objects of cultural patrimony to federally-recognized tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations. .

“On behalf of Dartmouth, I sincerely apologize to our entire community,” President Philip J. Hanlon wrote in the College’s statement. Hanlon also wrote that the College will be taking steps to ofer support to those afected by the discoveries.

“In great sympathy with all of the pain that Indian Country is enduring, we at Dartmouth pledge to take careful and meaningful action to address our situation and consult with the communities most directly impacted,” Hanlon wrote. “Dartmouth is dedicated to righting these heartbreaking wrongs.”

Dartmouth completed its first inventory of Native American holdings in 1995, after the 1990 enactment of NAGPRA. Since Dartmouth’s initial inventory, the College has repatriated remains to Native and Indigenous groups on four separate occasions, the announcement stated.

In 2018, after becoming the College’s NAGPRA officer, Hood Museum curator of Indigenous art Jami Powell began requesting a re-inventory of Dartmouth’s Native American archives. Powell wrote in the College’s statement that some institutions’ frst inventories after the passage of NAGPRA had been prone to errors.

“From my experience at other institutions, I knew that the initial inventories done in the 1990s, when NAGPRA was frst passed, were often rushed by necessity and conducted by staff who had numerous other responsibilities in terms of collections management and care,” Powell wrote.

Following delays related to renovations and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hood completed its re-inventory in early 2021, according to the College’s statement.

In the summer of 2021, the anthropology department also began conducting a re-inventory of its own, which led to the fagging of several bones with “ambiguous labeling and appearance,” according to the College’s statement. Some of those remains possessed accession numbers that did not correspond to any system used by the anthropology department.

When the anthropology department

BY Charlotte Hampton

This article was originally published on March 30, 2023.

Every Christmas, Joshua White toiled over his beloved chocolate and peanut butter treats — affectionately known as “Joshy Balls” — to distribute to his friends and family, White’s cousin Loren Hudson recalled. As White spent hours on the dessert, Hudson, Hudson’s daughters and countless other loved ones eagerly anticipated his famous treat.

White loved to cook, and his hours in the kitchen were an expression of love for those around him, Hudson said.

“He made 400 to 1,000 [Joshy Balls],” Hudson said. “He had so many friends. He wanted to give everybody 10 to 20 of these. He didn’t want to give me just 10 or 20 — I’ve got a bunch of kids. So, it was 10 for Ava, 10 for Violet, 10 for Olive, 10 for Bri [and] 10 for me.”

Joshua White, an IT support analyst at the Tuck School of Business from York, ME, died on March 15 following a battle with a rare form of stomach cancer, according to his obituary in the Valley News. He was 35 years old. After earning a degree in information technology from York Community College, White began work as an information technology support analyst at the Geisel School of Medicine in 2011. After five years at Geisel, he relocated to Tuck Business School, where he worked as a support analyst alongside Hudson.

Hudson said that White’s interest in cooking sprouted from his profound creativity and keen problem-solving mindset. White applied these skills to all areas of his life, from playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons to his work in IT support, Hudson added.

“He was a masterful cook,” Hudson said. “If there’s a recipe, [IT workers] can follow it. It’s one of the reasons we’re good at technology. Give me a 300-page… article, and I can read it and implement it … That works out with cooking as well.”

White’s fondness for cooking dated back to his high school and college days, when he worked for Ruby’s Wood Grill in York. According to restaurant owner Carle Brown, White worked for the restaurant for around seven years and eventually became a cook. He was incredibly talented at making pizza and “did whatever we needed him to do,” Brown said.

“[He was] the best type of employee you could hope to have, and just a great guy too,” Brown said. “[Josh was] always in a good mood…, always ready to go when he got here and always had a lot of ideas. He was obviously very smart and a joy to have around.”

According to Hudson, White loved working at Dartmouth and was an extremely dedicated employee who “didn’t complain.” In the time that other workers on his team did five technology repairs, White would complete 70, Hudson added.

“He would show up at 7 a.m. every morning — work started at 8 [a.m.],” Hudson said. “He’d be sitting and ready, and he’d open the desk — for years. When he left, it was 5:30 p.m. He only had to work until 5 [p.m.], but he’d always stay 30 minutes late for a student that was looking for help.”

White’s eagerness to help others began at a young age, according to White’s mother Monica White. Growing up, White spent his childhood watching his mother tend to their garden, where he earned the nickname “Joshy Bug” — a nod to his habit of pointing out different insects. The nickname eventually embarrassed White in adolescence, his mother recounted.

She added that White maintained a positive attitude even in bad times.

“[Josh was] always happy [and] never complained when he was sick,” Monica White said. “He could have a fever and you would never know it. [I] almost think he was a saint, if you believe in that type of stuff. He never ever demanded anything.”

Beyond his family, White held a special love for gaming — including Dungeons and Dragons, Nintendo and card games.

“[You] couldn’t beat him,” Hudson said. “But he was always very humble about it. It didn’t matter if Josh had never seen the game. He looked through the rules and then they’d play, and nine out of ten times he would win… He just could think so many steps ahead.”

Prior to and during his cancer diagnosis, White raised money for children’s cancer research by entering gaming competitions such as Extra Life, in which he gamed for 24-hours straight.

White’s father Patrick White added that gaming was his son’s way of connecting with the outside world. He and his son shared a love of quiet and solitude, he added.

“Everyone loved him,” he said. “I never saw him have a problem with anyone.”

White’s dedication and positive mindset persisted even as he battled cancer. He rarely took pain-relieving medications and there was “no crying,” Hudson said.

Even when Hudson encouraged White to spend his last days living out lifelong dreams, White kept saving money and “giving half of his paycheck to his future,” Hudson said. White dreamed of getting a mango-colored Dodge Charger with all-wheel drive — “because it’s practical,” Hudson added.

“I was just like, ‘you’re insane dude,’” Hudson said. “‘You should just take your time and go to Japan.’”

Hudson said he lived with White in a house they built together. White always prioritized the family and maintained a close relationship with Hudson’s children and wife, Hudson added.

A celebration of life for White will be held at noon on May 7 at 4313 Quechee Main Street, White River Junction, VT.