Ethics
The problems of the past do not stay buried with the bodies. Every bog body that is excavated, preserved, and eventually put on display, comes with it the moral and ethical obligations that any curator, director, or anyone else involved with the display of ancient human remains must consider. The public display of human remains is a delicate topic and consideration must be given as to whether anyone will object to or take offense to the particular display. What makes the whole topic of ethics difficult is the fact that what people are offended by is completely subjective, with a few objective factors such as race, religion, and heritage. Any sentimentality attached to the remains is subjective based on the aforementioned objective factors. One's moral or ethical standpoint on the display of human remains need to be addressed in order to display the remains with the expectation of the least amount of retaliation and/or opposition to the display.
Recently, this ethical consideration has been more pressing than it ever was, and such acts as the British Government's Human Tissue Act 2004 has allowed museums to return remains 'which are reasonable believed to be under 1000 years in age'. Another similar act is that of Section 21 of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, which provides for the return of Aboriginal human remains 'to an Aboriginal or Aboriginals entitled to, and willing to accept, possession, custody or control of the remains in accordance with Aboriginal tradition.'
Recently, this ethical consideration has been more pressing than it ever was, and such acts as the British Government's Human Tissue Act 2004 has allowed museums to return remains 'which are reasonable believed to be under 1000 years in age'. Another similar act is that of Section 21 of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, which provides for the return of Aboriginal human remains 'to an Aboriginal or Aboriginals entitled to, and willing to accept, possession, custody or control of the remains in accordance with Aboriginal tradition.'