wk 14 nov 19 kennewick and nagpra

ANT 102, November 19th

Today’s topic:

Relations between Native Americans and Archaeologists

Three parts of today’s lecture

1) Tension and conflict between Native Americans and archaeologists prior to 1990

2) The 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA): a possible resolution to the conflict.

3) Multiple perspectives (positive, negative, Native American, archaeological) on NAGPRA

1) Tension and conflict between Native Americans and archaeologists prior to 1990

--Ways of knowing the past

Native American disagreements with archaeologists

--Desecration of graves

Ales Hrdlicka

KodiakIsland

American Museum of Natural History

American Indian Movement (AIM) occupationof Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay

Vine Deloria, Jr.

American Indian Movement (AIM) occupation of Wounded Knee

NAGPRA: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990)

NAGPRA does two things for Native Americans

1) Protects Graves

2) Repatriates (returns) bones and sacred objects to tribes

Senator John McCain: “I believe this bill represents a true compromise…In the end, eachparty had to give a little in order to strike a balance and to resolve these very difficultemotional issues…I believe this legislation effectively balances the interest of NativeAmericans in the rightful and respectful return of their ancient ancestors with theinterests of our nation’s museums in maintaining our rich cultural heritage, the heritageof all American peoples.”

1) Graves protection

--Any archaeology project on federal land or using federal funding must consult withthe nearest native American tribe if any Native American ruins are to be studied

--If graves are found on such a project, Native Americans determine what to do.

2) Repatriation

Step 1: museums inventory their collections, studying all Native American bones andsacred objects

Step 2: museums inform tribes of the Native American bones and sacred objects intheir collections.

Step 3: A Native American tribe requests that bones or objects be repatriated.

Pecos pueblo,occupied 1000 AD,

abandoned 1838 AD

Jemez pueblo, 1882

2) Repatriation

Step 1: museums inventory their collections, studying all Native American bones andsacred objects

Step 2: museums inform tribes of the Native American bones and sacred objects intheir collections.

Step 3: A Native American tribe requests that bones or objects be repatriated.

Step 4: If necessary, the request goes to court to decide if there is cultural affiliationbetween the tribe and the bones and/or objects.

What determines cultural affiliation? preponderance of evidence (51%)

What counts as evidence?

Archaeology, genetics, skeletal biology, written history, oral history, language, geography.

What evidence is given the most weight? All forms of evidence carry equal weight

Example of a questionable case of cultural affiliation: Kennewick Man

Skull of Kennewick Man/The Ancient One

Forensics expert’sRepresentation of Kennewick Man/The Ancient One

Shore of Columbia River whereKennewick man was found

stock photo of two college students

James Chatters(coroner/archaeologist)

Neo-pagans of European descent who wanted the skeleton for themselves

Chatters

Bonnichsen

Douglas Minthorn, Umatilla Tribe

Bonnichsen (and others) vs. The United States

2) Repatriation

Step 1: museums inventory their collections, studying all Native American bones andsacred objects

Step 2: museums inform tribes of the Native American bones and sacred objects intheir collections.

Step 3: A Native American tribe requests that bones or objects be repatriated.

Step 4: If necessary, the request goes to court to decide if there is cultural affiliationbetween the tribe and the bones and/or objects.

Step 5: Once cultural affiliation is demonstrated, the tribe gets their stuff back from the museum.

NAGPRA as civil rights legislation

Are all affiliated remains always returned to the tribe?

What determines cultural affiliation? preponderance of evidence (51%)

What counts as evidence?

Archaeology, genetics, skeletal biology, written history, oral history, language, geography.

What evidence is given the most weight? All forms of evidence carry equal weight

NO

As McCain said, NAGPRA strikes a balance between Native Americans and archaeologists

Nobody is completely happy

Why would Native Americans be unhappy?

1) NAGPRA only covers skeletons found on federal land

2) Museums are allowed to study human remains before repatriation

3) Very old remains (>1000 years) are usually not covered by NAGPRA

4) Archaeological evidence often does trump other forms of evidence whendiscussing debating cultural affiliation

5) Only federally recognized tribes qualify for repatriation under NAGPRA

As McCain said, NAGPRA strikes a balance between Native Americans and archaeologists

Nobody is completely happy

Why would Archaeologists be unhappy?

1) Archaeologists think that their possession of Native American objects hashelped Native Americans and could continue to help them.

2) NAGPRA permits destruction of evidence

3) NAGPRA elevates native American religious beliefs above the principals of science

4) Cultures change : how can a “Navajo” from 500 years ago be affiliated with a Navajo today?

As McCain said, NAGPRA strikes a balance between Native Americans and archaeologists

Nobody is completely happy

Why would Archaeologists be unhappy?

1) Archaeologists think that their possession of Native American objects hashelped Native Americans and could continue to help them.

2) NAGPRA permits destruction of evidence

3) NAGPRA elevates native American religious beliefs above the principals of science

NAGPRA is not all bad for archaeology.

1) Most skeletal remains are unaffiliated

2) Museums are now forced to catalog and study their skeletons

3) Newly excavated skeletons will receive much better study

4) Curation facilities have improved

5) NAGPRA makes archaeologists more ethical: it is a good thing forarchaeologists to respect civil rights of Native Americans

4) Cultures change : how can a “Navajo” from 500 years ago be affiliated with a Navajo today?

Dorothy Lippert, Choctaw Indian,archaeologist employed by the Smithsonian.

Joe Watkins, Choctaw Indian,University of Oklahoma.

Are the two sides (archaeologists and native Americans) always so different?