Final answer:
Anthropologists are shifting practices to a more collaborative and respectful relationship with native communities, avoiding roles such as identifying bodies of stolen children, which are outside typical anthropological work. The focus is on empowering these communities and ensuring beneficial outcomes from anthropological research.
Step-by-step explanation:
Anthropologists have traditionally studied native societies and documented their cultures. However, through history, these relationships have been complex and sometimes problematic, with accusations of anthropology playing a part in the colonization of Indigenous societies. There have been shifts in methodology and ethics, moving toward a more respectful, inclusive, and collaborative approach between anthropologists and native communities.
One such method that has been avoided is identifying the bodies of stolen children buried on the grounds of mission schools so they can be returned to their families. This task is better suited to forensics or other specialized fields rather than traditional anthropology. Instead, anthropologists focus on decolonizing their practice, empowering Indigenous communities, and fostering a more egalitarian and collaborative relationship.
Anthropology is quickly evolving, with an emphasis on applied anthropology and addressing the critique of historically disempowering practices. Researchers are now including members of native communities in their teams and surrendering control over research outputs to the subject communities, ensuring that anthropology not only documents cultural practices but also benefits the people being studied.