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 FOUR
Preserving the Past for the Future
Item: In the summer of 1973 an organization of some 40 persons
of American Indian descent living in the Louisville, Kentucky,
metropolitan area vehemently protested the excavation of a
nearby archaeological site, condemning the scientists involved
as "desecrators and grave robbers."
Containers hold confiscated artifacts which were looted
from various parks.
Item: Over a period of several years, the elite tombs of the
important site of Rio Azul, an ancient Maya city deep in the
forest of northern Guatemala, were sacked by highly organized
and heavily armed bands of clandestine looters who routinely
roam the area in quest of salable artifacts.
Item: In 1987 a multistate group of relic collectors and dealers
leased the Slack Farm site, at the confluence of the Wabash and
Ohio Rivers in Kentucky, and proceeded to dig with abandon.
Their efforts turned one of the more important archaeological
sites in the East into a useless crater field littered with
human bones and broken grave goods. Protests of Native Americans
resulted in the reburial of the salvaged bones, while the
process of prosecution was hindered by the ambiguity of state
law.
A looted archaeological site in the Bering Land Bridge
National Preserve.
It is easy to see from these incidents that archaeologists must
be concerned with much more than the scientific investigation of
past human culture. Indeed, archaeology today is a public
profession that carries great responsibilities. Among the issues
that must be faced, two in particular stand out. One, the
opposition of some Native American groups to the excavation and
care of skeletal material and burial goods is leading to a
reconsideration of traditional approaches. The other, the
accelerated destruction of sites by looting, most often
motivated by greed, threatens the very continuation of
archaeology in many areas.
Archaeology and Native Americans
Many factors come into play in the greater question of how the
methods of studying the North American past can be reconciled
with the interests of those whose ancestors are often the
subjects of study. Concerns of Native Americans include the
relationship of the site or culture being excavated to living
groups or tribes and the fate of human remains and burial goods
that have been removed from archaeological sites. In considering
such things, there is no definable "Indian attitude" toward
archaeology, for viewpoints range from cooperative approval to
militant protest.
Native American beadwork pieces.
A program of excavation carried out at an important site in
northwestern Washington shows that the interests of Native
Americans and archaeologists are often compatible. The Ozette
site lies on a steep forested slope that faces the rocky,
island-studded tidal area fringing the westernmost shore of the
continental United States. The land is part of the Ozette Indian
Reservation, home of the Makah tribe. There, some 500 years ago,
a slide of clay from the upper slope spilled over at least six
wooden houses, sealing them and their contents in such a way as
to preserve virtually everything, including objects of wood,
basketry, and even cloth—materials rarely recovered from
any archaeological site. The discovery of Ozette in 1966 excited
not only archaeologists but also the Indians upon whose land the
site lay. At the urging of the late Senator Henry Jackson and
others, and through a program of cooperation among the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, and Richard Daugherty
of the Department of Anthropology at Washington State
University, funds were provided for the long-term excavation of
the site. By terms of the agreement between the Makah Indians
and the archaeologists, all excavated objects remain on the
reservation in a museum run by trained Makah. Meanwhile, people
of the reservation helped with the digging and the running of
the preservation laboratory at nearby Neah Bay. The situation at
Ozette, so different from that at Louisville, demonstrates that
carefully considered archaeological programs and cooperation
beforehand can serve both the pride of Native Americans in their
own past and the desires of science.
Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico.
The cooperation between Native Americans and archaeologists that
has been so productive at Ozette is paralleled by programs among
the Zuni of New Mexico and others in the United States. In
contrast, many Native Americans protesting the action of
archaeologists consider the excavation of any site, no matter
how ancient or unidentifiable in relation to modern people, an
unnecessary violation of remains they consider sacred. This
conflict of interests is difficult to reconcile neatly, for it
involves deep-seated values and beliefs as well as the possible
resentments of those long subjected to "study" by outsiders but
deprived of knowledge of the results or the benefits of those
studies.
Buckskin Jacket in a humidification chamber during the
conservation process.
Clearly this problem is a challenging one; it is hoped it can be
approached with compromise and compassion and solved. Few would
disagree with the Native American contention that the display or
illustration of burials and skeletons by museums and
publications reduces them to sensational objects of curiosity
and thus violates the fundamental respect due one people by
another. As a consequence of protests calling attention to these
things, archaeologists and museums have reevaluated attitudes
and revised policies regarding the exhibition of human remains.
Destruction of the Archaeological Record
Surely the most staggering problem facing archaeologists is the
increasing rate of destruction of sites. This destruction of the
past can come about in many ways.
Damage left by looters in Vicksburg National Military
Park.
The looting of Rio Azul, Guatemala, is only one of numerous
incidents that have occurred in the homeland of the ancient Maya
and their descendants. Many have involved the loss of
hieroglyphic texts carved on stone monuments—writings that
could have revealed information about individual rulers,
conquests, places, and dates vital to our knowledge of ancient
Maya history. Thus, the Maya area has become the setting for a
desperate race between scholarship and thievery. Looters
customarily use a chainsaw to cut up monuments for easier
transport of the heavy limestone. Those relief carvings that are
not shattered in the process—tiny fragments of many of the
finest works of Maya art litter the jungle floor—end up in
art galleries, museums, and private collections all over the
world, forever torn from their original contexts. The most
obvious loss is to the nation where such theft takes place, for
the looting and export of these objects denies its citizens
access to the remains and the symbols of their own cultural
heritage.
The loss is by no means confined to the Maya area. Indeed,
looting takes place at a staggering rate all over the world,
from the Etruscan tombs of central Italy to the ancient
cemeteries of the Philippines; from Southwestern pueblos to
Civil War battlefields and 19th-century shipwrecks.
In Peru treasure-hunting huaqueros—the local term
for illegal diggers of burials—have stripped hundreds of
sites once occupied by the Inca and their predecessors in the
central Andes in their persistent search for buried gold
artifacts or any other object in demand on the world art market.
Among thousands of relatively unspectacular—but no less
important—sites around the world, the situation is equally
grim.
An archaeologist excavates a pottery cache in Leon
County, Florida.
Looting is just one of the forces that are destroying our
archaeological record. Modern development and natural forces
such as erosion and rising sea level also take a toll each day.
If the present rate of archaeological destruction continues,
there may be no more sites to preserve in much of the world in
50 to 100 years. Because archaeological sites form an
irreplaceable resource, we who are alive today are responsible
for saving this valuable record, and archaeologists must sound
the warning. If we do not meet this obligation, the incomplete
knowledge gained up to now and in the very near future must
suffice for the rest of time.
To learn more about topics covered in Chapter 4, visit these
National Park Service Features:
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America's Hidden Battlefields:
Protecting the Archeological Story: America's
battlefields teach us about some of the most
important events in our history—and there
is much more to a battlefield than immediately
meets the eye! An important piece of this
irreplaceable landscape is the reality of that
long-ago battle that lies hidden underground.
Through the protection, study, and
interpretation of archeological evidence, we can
enhance our understanding of those events, and
ensure that the battle, itself, is remembered.
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Native American Graves Protection Repatriation Act (NAGPRA):
The National Park Service has leadership
responsibilities for this Act, including a
grants program, providing guidance on law,
publishing notices of inventory completion and
notices of intent to repatriate, and working
with the review committee.
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Vanishing Treasures:
This grass-roots initiative tackles the loss of
irreplaceable historic and prehistoric
structures and the skills to maintain these
structures in over 40 southwestern national
parks. The program ensures long-term
preservation of these sites through training a
new generation of craftspeople, many with
cultural and other close ties to these sites.
Visit the VT web site and the affected parks to
learn more about the efforts to repair and
maintain these significant resources.
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Curation:
When archeological sites are excavated or
archeological surveys are conducted to locate
sites, artifacts are usually collected. These
must be properly cared for and documented for
their long-term use by the public and scholars
alike. Curation of archeological collections
involves a number of important responsibilities.
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Submerged Archeology:
Learn about the underwater projects of the
Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, often in
partnership with other organizations, including
the U.S.S. Arizona and U.S.S. Utah at Pearl
Harbor, ships and planes in Palau and Guam, and
numerous historic shipwrecks in Dry Tortugas
National Park and off Isle Royale National Park.
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Strategies for Protecting Archeological Sites on Private Lands:
Strategies serves as a guide to the wide variety
of tools available for protecting archeological
sites on private lands. It contains information
on strategies that are currently being used
throughout the country, contact information, and
other sources of useful information.
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