Introduction

Human remains and other buried artifacts are a source of insight into history and material culture for any archaeological progress. They provide the archaeologists with vital information on the origin of certain cultural practices, the origin of a particular group of people as well as an illustration on how these people behaved. In order to achieve this, the archaeologists have to employ any means possible to get the required information through what was left behind by past human populations including exhuming their bodies. For instance, some skeletal remains of several ancient communities like the Native Americans, Australian Aborigines, and New Zealand Maoris were dug up. These remains end up in museums where they are used as archaeological exhibits, to illustrate the cultural and environmental background of the respective communities. Unfortunately, the archaeologists are not the only party that is interested in these past artifacts and human remains. Whatever the archaeologists consider ‘archaeological evidence,’ could be of similar great value to some other people who take the ‘evidence’ to be a significant heritage in their culture. As such, this creates a conflict of interest between the archaeologists and the rest of the society.

Repatriation of Native American skeletal/cultural remains

There have been problems with the Native American groups that resulted from the process of colonization of the West in the 18th and 19th centuries. The consequent results of this process were the shift of the Native Americans to a reservation and a tremendous rise in the marginalization of the community in the 20th century. Unearthing more than ten thousand remains of Native Americans and being possessed by the archaeologists was viewed as a desecration of the Native American culture, which created tension between the archaeologists and the natives (vida). A program was set up in the United States that focused on this tension and provided a superb research of the Native American archaeology in the United States. As such, several Native American remains were boxed up and moved to local state museums, as the debates intensified concerning the need for reburial.

Repatriation is now a global issue as more and more nations, and ethnic groups attempt to save their heritage by collecting all the objects and materials they think is of great value to their culture. However, several prominent archaeologists from the United States were against this move and advocated their stand against repatriation by use of academic literature. The discovery of an ancient one skeleton individual, Kennewick Man, at a riverbed in Washington created huge legal uproars for almost a decade due to the differences between the indigenous people and the archaeologists.

Archaeology has also met much resistance from religion, evoking a debate relating to the theories of evolution by archaeologists and believes in creation by religion in the United States. These controversies have made the archaeologists’ task difficult, but have facilitated repatriations as several remains and material artifacts have been returned. Nevertheless, this has not stopped the digging up of the skeletal remains and other artifacts because more research is being carried out, but with permission from the indigenous people. The archaeologists should exhume the remains according to the Native Americans wish, and avail the remains later for reburial after they are through with their research (TS 118). Consequently, the Native Americans are treated with respect and create archaeological services to benefit the Native American groups.

The first human inhabitants of North America

The Kennewick Man was found with more than 90% of his skeleton still intact, at Kennewick, Washington and dates more than 9,000 years ago, suggesting to be one of the oldest ever discovered. Observations of the pelvis, teeth, and the skull shows that the skeletal remains belonged to an individual linked to the current Native American people. Subsequently, under the establish Act of NAGPRA, the remains are supposed to be returned for reburial and not taken to the museums. Moreover, this discovery proves that the Native Americans from the Umatilla tribes were the first inhabitants of the North America since the remains date more than ninety centuries ago (zimmr 224).

The significance of NAPGRA

The remains were removed from public display, and the Senate passed a law in 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) that stopped the excavation of the Native American cemeteries. This Act helped to solve the conflicts that had developed between the museums and the Native American groups over the process of exhuming and storing the remains, as well as the grave artifacts. NAGPRA was passed to favor the Native Americans to enable the release of the Native American skeletal remains to their respective nations and developed a process to enhance the right claim of remains by the right people. The Act helped in maintaining the culture of the Native American people, which did not allow the exhuming of their ancestor’s remains as they believed they had to be left in peace. As such, the Native Americans’ culture was respected, and they were given the mandate to approve any necessary excavation required, as far as a reburial process would be undertaken. In case the process was given a go ahead under the Act, the people will get a chance of learning more about their historical background based on culture and the environment of their ancestry.

According to this Act, all the remains, grave goods, and artifacts considered to be of cultural importance were to be accounted for by the museums (rabbit 61). An inventory of the remains is determined to establish the Native American groups that could lay a claim on the remains and other materials based on their relationship with the said claims. As such, this made it easier for the museums to distribute the remains to their rightful burial sites. The Act allows the remains to be studied scientifically, in case the result from the study would benefit the nation and the whole world (zimmr 222). The scientists utilize this chance to study the remains under a legal support and state their findings, which is then used to make historical conclusions about the people associated with found remains.

The genetic and archaeological evidence for the first Americans

Through genetics, it is evident that human beings dispersed from Southern Siberia more than 30,000 years ago and further moved from Beringia to the Americas. It is through archaeology that we learn that the first Americans came from south of the Canada around 15,000 years ago. This aspect is proved by the close similarity in the molecular genetics of modern Native American people to that of the indigenous population in the south of Siberia. Using the gene markers, mitochondrial and the Y-chromosomes, the movement of people into America can be determined by relating the modern records to the ancient DNA records. According to geneticists’ calculations, the modern human beings located in Central Asia and set the platform for colonizing America. As such, Asia is denoted as the origin of the first American people.

Archeological evidence from the Yana River in the Siberian high Artic reveal artifacts and signs of a sophisticated technology, which are similarly found in the subarctic central Siberia and arctic European Russia. It shows that people were acquiring better techniques to survive in the north after reaching southern Siberia. Clovis could have originated from the south of the continent or the north resulting from the second dispersal events from Beringia to Americas with the opening of the ‘ice-free’ pathway (TS 134).

The importance of these different issues to both the discipline of anthropology and American culture at large

Through archaeology, it will be possible to give a light about the history of Native Americans of the last 12,000 years and broaden the historical research in the area for future reference. Acquisition of knowledge through science is of great significance in understanding our origin as well as the way people lived in the past. The findings from the remains will help the anthropologists to join up the facts that they have accumulated over the years and make a concrete conclusion about the ancient life of human beings. The programs should therefore not hinder the processes undertaken the archaeologists because the result benefit the nation, scientific researchers as well as the whole world. However, this scientific search for answers seems to undermine the rights of the indigenous people and abuse their beliefs, which every institution is supposed to respect and support.

Bibliography

“Center for the Study of the First Americans.” Center for the Study of the First Americans. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://csfa.tamu.edu/who.php.

Native American Symposium, Et al. Where No One Else Has Gone Before: Proceedings of the Ninth Native American Symposium. 2012.

Washington Times article. “First DNA Tests Say Kennewick Man Was Native American.” Washington Times – Politics, Breaking News, US and World News. Accessed April 17, 2015. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/18/first-dna-tests-saykennewick-man-was-native-ameri/?page=all.

Humphrey, Doug. “Bones of Contention: Native American Archaeology.” Films On Demand – Login. April 1, 2009. HYPERLINK “http://digital.films.com/play/2XMZL7” http://digital.films.com/play/2XMZL7.

Zimmerman, Larry J., and Robert N. Clinton. “Case note. Kennewick man and native American graves protection and repatriation act woes.” International journal of cultural property 8, no. 01 (1999): 212-228.

Taking Sides: Unit 2 Issue 6. ANTH 101.2 Short Essay Spring 2015 3/3