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About Carnegie Museum of Natural History

June 3, 2024 by Keiha Drummond
About Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Founded by Pittsburgh industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, houses more than 22 million specimens and features one of the finest paleontological collections in the world. The Museum’s Anthropology section focuses on cultural diversity, aiming to unravel what humans are, how they evolved, and how they differ from one another. As a vital research hub, the museum supports nationwide studies, showing great respect for both artifacts and their cultural significance. 

Partnering with City High to expose students to an anthropology career option, the museum’s Archaeology Collection manager and head of the Anthropology Section Amy Covell-Murthy recently shared her extensive expertise with City High student Amya Wise. Interestingly, City High is the only area high school participating in this opportunity reserved for college undergrads and grad students.
On a local note, Amy Covell-Murthy revealed, “We have assemblages from all of the indigenous people who have lived in Pittsburgh at any time, so as far back as more nomadic people through all of the tribes who were relocated here or pushed here through colonization.” 
Pennsylvania is rich in artifacts as the French & Indian War was fought here. What’s more, because of the fur trade, a lot of tribes moved into the area, including the Haudenosaunee, Shawnee and Lanape whose presence can be found in the artifacts in the museum.
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Supported Pots City High Intern
Protected supports are created around objects in a collection, some from digs at Bâb Edh-Dhrâ' in Jordan.
What a fantastic opportunity this was for soon–to-graduate Amya Wise, who will be heading to the University of Pittsburgh to major in Anthropology. She gained valuable experience digitizing archives, helping with accession records and preparing objects for deaccessioning or repatriation to the rightful owners.
“We are doing constant consultation for indigenous North American repatriation,” Ms. Covell-Murthy explains. “There’s a federal law that is called the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and we follow that law to return human remains, associated grave goods, and items of cultural patrimony to federally recognized indigenous tribes… a sacred or sensitive object that means a lot to a particular tribe.”

To learn more about Amy Covell-Murthy’s important work in the preservation of human remains while honoring their historic value and repatriation to their people, enjoy this article from Carnegie Magazine:

https://carnegiemuseums.org/carnegie-magazine/spring-2024/honoring-the-dead-and-the-living/

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Keiha Drummond
Keiha Drummond
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