That case was deeply divisive, and it established some of the tensions and some of the frameworks within which subsequent debates over ancient Native American remains have been conducted.

The researchers working on the Anzick-1 genome were aware of this history.

They were aware that publishing a major study of an ancient Native American genome without meaningful engagement with Native communities would be both ethically problematic and scientifically incomplete — because without Indigenous participation and consent, the comparative modern genomic data that gave the ancient genome its analytical power would be unavailable or inadequate.

Eske Willerslev and his collaborators engaged in a consultation process that, by the accounts of those involved, was genuine if not without its complications.