The fundamental function of forensic anthropology is to establish the identity of unidentified skeletal remains of unknown origin, which includes the estimation of age, assessment of sex, height, and ancestry, as well as the documentation of ante, peri and postmortem trauma and pathological changes. Ancestry assessment is considered one of the most demanding aspects of biological profiling, primarily due to the complex relationship between skeletal morphology and social constructs. The methods used today to assess ancestry rely on the link between skeletal morphology, geographic origin and the social "race" of the individual. Although there are legitimate reasons for discontinuing the use of certain outdated methods in the assessment of ancestry, some researchers continue to use them. Attempt to improve the methodology within which the data is analyzed requires validation and re-evaluation of each available method while developing new approaches that use modern technological advances. A number of computer programs are available today, and are designed to assist in the assessment of ancestry. The future of ancestry assessment should focus on abandoning the use of Hooton's Harvard list, rejecting classification into only three possible groups (in the case of the USA), establishing larger and older representative reference samples, validating the use of combined methods instead of just one, and developing new statistical approaches, and updating current statistical tools.