There continue to be cases where researchers conduct ancient DNA analysis on Indigenous ancestral remains without meaningful consultation with or consent from descendant communities.

The ethical frameworks for such research are still evolving, and there is no universal agreement on what constitutes adequate consultation or consent in specific cases.

But the Anzick case has contributed to the development of these frameworks and has demonstrated that the collaborative approach is scientifically viable — that good science and genuine respect for Indigenous communities are compatible.

The Bison Hunters Who Came After Clovis

The transformation of the American Great Plains in the millennia following the Clovis period — from a landscape of mammoths and horses to a landscape dominated by bison — created one of the most spectacular large-animal ecologies in the world, and the human cultures that developed to exploit it are among the most interesting in North American prehistory.