Draft Report Says Harvard Holds Remains of 19 Possible Enslaved People and Thousands of Native Americans

A leaked draft report by a Harvard committee says the university has the remains of at least 19 people who were likely enslaved and nearly 7,000 Native Americans, according to the Harvard Crimson.

The student newspaper, which said it obtained a copy of the report in May, reported that the university has identified the remains of four individuals from the Caribbean and Brazil. Last year, the university said it had identified the remains of 15 people of African descent that were being held at the university’s Peabody Museum as part of its collection. The individuals were likely alive when slavery was legal in the United States, the university said.

Additionally, the draft report says the Peabody Museum holds the remains of thousands of Native Americans, according to the Crimson, despite a more than 30-year-old federal law that requires institutions that accept federal funds to return Native American remains and cultural objects to their descendants or tribes.

Attempts by the Globe to obtain a copy of the draft report Wednesday were unsuccessful, and the university did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.