She said correctly identifying human ancestral remains and objects can require lengthy investigation, including ethnographic and aboriginal territory exploration. It's best, she said, if the process of identifying remains and sacred objects is a collaborative one.

"I want to be able to send groups digital files and show them what I have when a claim is made," she said.

She also cited a history of tension between archaeologists and indigenous groups, and said a shift had occurred recently in her field toward supporting those seeking to reclaim items from, and aspects of, their culture and history.

"Even the most scientific of us -- and I try to be that -- should realize just because you can take something doesn't mean you should," Thakar said.

Thakar pointed to a high-profile case study of these tensions that played out over time in Washington state. In 1996, six years after NAGPRA was enacted, two college students came across a human skull while wading in the Columbia River. They thought they'd found a murder victim and flagged down a nearby cop, who called in a local expert. Instead, they had discovered some of the oldest human remains ever dug up in North America, according to a 2016 article from NPR.