American Indians' autopsy protests lead to a teachable moment

Two deaths in Carlton County have spurred intense discussions about American Indians’ right to decline an autopsy for loved ones when it violates their religious beliefs.

Tribal advocates have called for local officials to be better trained in native customs after court orders were needed to prevent autopsies on the bodies of Mushkoob Aubid, a spiritual leader of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, and Autumn Martineau, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

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