Smithsonian should speed up return of human remains, task force says
A Washington Post investigative series into the Smithsonian's collection of at least 30,700 human bones and other body parts, including more than 250 brains. This series reveals the museum's "racial brain collection," the anthropologist behind its curation and the stories of those whose brains were taken.
Have a tip or story idea about the collection? Email our team at thecollection@washpost.com.
Read the stories
Read the stories
Key findings from The Post's investigation on the Smithsonian's human remains
Listen on Post Reports
When Mary died in 1933, her brain was sent to Ales Hrdlicka, the Smithsonian's "bone doctor." The Post couldn't find any records that Mary or her family consented to this. So what happened to Mary's brain? And what is the extent of the Smithsonian's "racial brain collection"?
Watch the videos
"Searching for Maura": Animated illustrated reporting. Also available on YouTube.
"Paghahanap kay Maura": Animated illustrated reporting. Also available on YouTube.
How The Post reported on the Smithsonian's human remains. Also available on YouTube.
Order "Searching for Maura" and "Paghahanap kay Maura"
Maura came to St. Louis from the Philippines to be put on display at the 1904 World's Fair. Records suggest that after she fell ill and died, a world-renowned anthropologist took part of her brain. Few people would know what happened to her for more than a century.
Available in English and Filipino. Order your copy now.
Tune in on Washington Post Live
The Post's Nicole Dungca interviews Michael Blakey, a member of the newly created Smithsonian human remains task force, about The Post's year-long investigation and how the organization is reckoning with this history. Watch the interview.
About the reporters
Claire Healy is a freelance journalist and newsroom copy aide who has written for The Post.
Nicole Dungca is an investigative reporter for The Post.
Andrew Ba Tran is an investigative data reporter for The Post.
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