Desecration of the Dead

Since the 1970s there has been public controversy over our treatment of native North American burial sites and human skeletal remains. Three main issues have come to the fore: Should we excavate burial sites at all? If so, how should they be treated and the remains handled? Who has, or should have, the power to make decisions on these questions? As the epigraph by Red Cloud illustrates, the roots of the conflict are old and deep. Two examples illustrate the issue as it has appeared on both sides of the U.S./Canada border. In 1971 members of A.I.M. (American Indian Movement) disrupted a dig outside Minneapolis-St. Paul. Even though there were no burials at the site, the symbolism of the confrontation was important to A.I.M. members who felt the excavation was proceeding without consideration of Native values and beliefs. According to the Arlie House Report (McGimsey and Davis 1977:90) the public was largely sympathetic with native people while archaeologists were not

Anthropological Studies and Insights · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History

• Golgotha in paradise

  Open Access•Yechiel Weizman•Holocaust Studies•2026

  Incluir item

• A conflict of values

  John E Petersonii•Death Studies•1990

  Incluir item

• Barbadian Gothic

  Niall Finneran, Christina Welch•Folklore•2020

  Incluir item

• An Ethos for Archaeological Practice

  J R Wood, John Wood et al.•Human Organization•1993

  Incluir item

• Mortuary Practices and the Study of Prehistoric Social Systems

  Open Access•Joseph A Tainter•Advances in Archaeological Method…•1978

  Incluir item

• The Significance of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978

  Robert Michaelsen, Robert S Michaelsen•Journal of the American Academy…•1984

  Incluir item