Today's New York Times reports (on the front page, in "DNA Gatherers Hit Snag: Tribes Don't Trust Them" by Amy Harmon) that the Genographic Project of National Geographic has been slowed by resistance from skeptical indigenous people, and a specific case involving "the Alaska review board" is highlighted. However, the same article also states that they have collected over 18,000 samples from remote places and 150,ooo samples from nonindigenous Americans interested in their roots. The picture is a screenshot from the National Geographic site.
1 comment:
The people are right to fear how data will be used. Is the project intended to cast out their own versions of history and descent? Are "we perfect Whites" looking for justification for our own view of the world?
Indigenous peopleshave been exploited for more than centuries. In this case, National Geographic promises education to the people--sometimes. What kind of education?
mlg
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