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Show THE POLITICS OF THE DEAD A ‘Final Resting Place" has long been elusive for thousands of Native Americans By Chinle Miller “There it is, there's where the old guy was originally found.” I lean out of the pickup window, pointing to the rocky bluff where two looters:-had dug up a prehistoric skeleton the autumn before. “A pretty place to rest, isn't it?” ~ “You bet,” my friend Howard replies. His dark eyes squint slightly, crow’s feet adding character and that hint of timelessness which seems to mark his people, the Ute Indians. An elegant silver concha on his hatband contrasts with his black felt Stetson. “We'll make sure he's peaceful once again,” he assures me. “It's a shame we never recovered the burial items that went with him.” My friend Howard is a Ute elder, a holy man. He represents his tribe whenever American Indian skeletons are found and eventually reburied, or “repatriated.” Today he's quiet, respectful of this possible ancestor whose reburial ceremony he will perform. I've been invited along for the drive, having furnished a Navajo blanket as a “dignified” cover for the remains. This — of deference, however, does not qualify me for the ceremony a : Paar n protect our heritageh f cultural objects from Federal lands. A lucrative market exists for antiquities-many rich private collectors will pay well for items that belong to my people. We have no interest in selling these things, even though some are quite valuable. We would never sell our heritage.” We're both quiet for awhile. The truck drones on and Howard's dark eyes look straight ahead into the unmoving sagebrush horizon. His square profile against the pickup window is backlit by setting sun. He continues. “I once had a dream, where I saw a beautiful olla, all hand-coiled and pinched and with a wide rim--made for carrying water. A gentle Indian woman had made the pot and blessed it with her skill and artistry. But after many years the olla was abandoned and after many more years it weathered into many pieces. There it lay for centuries, but even though in pieces, it was still whole in concept. But come this century, the pieces were picked up, one by one, by various visitors and taken to many different Sunes The olla'saimeenty Photos courtesy of Chinle Miller To date, approximately 14,000 skeletons (out of more than 200,000) have been returned to various tribes....Many of the skeletons have sat for years in museum, university and federal archives, along with countless cultural artifacts, gathering dust and forgotten by researchers... itself, evenoi ona I'm an exchaaulme and have known Howard ec years. The ceremony is hosted by the United States Congress, which in 1990 passed what's known as NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. NAGPRA established Indian nations as the owners of Native American cultural objects, including human remains, that are found on Federal land. The act also requires that museums, universities, and government agencies around the country inventory their human remains and burial objects and eventually turn these over to the Indian nations. The law applies to all Federal lands, whether Forest Service, BLM, or Park Service. To date, approximately 14,000 skeletons (out of over 200,000) have been returned to various tribes. The majority of the remains that haven’t been returned supposedly can’t be identified by tribe. Many of the skeletons have sat for years in museum, university, and Federal archives, along with countless cultural artifacts, gathering dust and forgotten by researchers who must concentrate on grant-writing and analysis of the more “glamorous” finds that make for appealing public displays. Howard's people, the Utes, have been affected by NAGPRA, as have all American Indians. Recently, a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing was conducted to address complaints by tribal leaders about the act, who claim that delays by museums, as well as loopholes in the law, are preventing thousands of Indian remains and sacred artifacts from being returned to the tribes. They also claim that Federal agencies have too little money and staff to enforce the law. The tribal leaders would like to see it extended to private lands. NAGPRA has become a hot topic for American Indians and Federal agencies alike. On our way home after the burial ceremony, my friend Howard is more talkative. I ask him how he feels about NAGPRA. “We wish to bring each of our relatives home and bury them,” Howard says in his quiet but dignified manner. “Imagine that you and your family go out to visit the graves of your ancestors, only to see a bunch of people with shovels who in the name of science are digging up the bones to be placed in a research laboratory for study. Imagine going into a museum and seeing a display that includes the skeleton of one of your relatives, displayed with family heirlooms.” He doesn't seem angry, but instead speaks with resignation. “We also know that some of the archaeologists who work for the Federal government and who are supposed to was lost. How can it ever come back together to fulfill its original purpose? Until we can reclaim the whole, we are doomed to see only whichever little piece we happen to hold at that time. We Indians still mourn our lost continent.” Howard's feelings are echoed by non-Indians also, who recognize the complex situation American Indians face trying to reclaim and preserve their heritage. Bob McKeever, a Forest Service archaeologist in Norwood, Colorado, is responsible for overseeing more than one million acres of Federal land. Approximately 20% of his time is spent in obtaining funds for archaeology, and he depends heavily on partnerships with non-Federal entities such as local counties and historical societies for seed monies. Much of this previous year was spent doing salvage archaeology for a pipeline, a ski area expansion, various timber sales, and a proposed powerline. “Whenever I find something, I document it, sketch and photograph it, then return it to its site. I only take things in that would be regarded as significant finds, such as obsidian, which can be indicative of trade routes. I've been in many museums throughout Europe and have seen extensive American Indian collections from the United States, including artifacts from my own region. The American Indians were never asked if they wanted to share their culture with the world--we just made that decision for them. This has deeply damaged their culture.” Given a probable culture of letting nature take its course, it seems unlikely that Spirit Cave Man would have wanted to share his remains for the past 60 years with researchers at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Discovered by archaeologists in Spirit Cave in western Nevada, the 10,000 year old mummy has been at the center of a legal battle between the Paiute-Shosone Tribe and the BLM, who recently decided that the mummy was not affiliated with any contemporary American Indian grou The Paiutes have been trying under NAGPRA to obtain the remains for reburial, but the BLM maintains that there is no cultural, biological, or physical evidence to show Spirit Man was their ancestor. A report released in mid August by the Nevada State BLM office states, “There is no geographic evidence indicating how long the Northern Paiute have occupied the Spirit Cave area prior to European contact in the early 1800s and none indicating who, if anyone, lived there at any earlier time. The remains predate contemporary Northern Paiute tribes and cannot reasonably be culturally affiliated with any — |