INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY Nancy White - Touro Institute

don’t buy and sell body parts. And they are from only one body, while archaeological materials
are part of the entire human past.
How is archaeology useful in supporting national identity and cultural heritage? Providing
information on the ancestral past can give different ethnic groups a pride in their heritage and
information that may be enormously useful and practical, such as in Native American land
claims. In many countries outside the U.S., archaeological images figure prominently in
everything from postage stamps to popular culture to fine arts. Designations of important sites as
world heritage monuments or other landmarks can bring not only national and international
recognition but real dollars in heritage tourism. Florida is acutely aware of archaeo-tourism and
has good publicity campaigns to urge visitors to visit historic sites as well as Disney World.
What are the negative aspects of the colonial legacy of archaeology? War, vandalism, and
looting of treasures for the museums of colonial powers have all devastated archaeological sites.
The imperialist mentality used to be well-illustrated in the patronizing treatment in such familiar
places as National Geographic magazine (Gero and Root 1990), where the archaeologists were
dashing white guys in pith helmets and the actual workers digging and carrying were the darkskinned
natives whose heritage was being taken away to museums in far distant lands with or
without their understanding, not to mention proper monetary compensation.
Have we become enlightened about our responsibilities in investigating the past of others? What
ethical considerations should guide archaeologists so as not to abuse the heritage of others?
Relations between Native Americans and archaeologists, for example, have changed in the past
decades. Indians are demanding that their ancestors not sit on some dusty museum shelf waiting
to be measured, but be treated with respect, returned to the community of origin, or not dug up in
the first place. As anthropologists we have no trouble understanding this, though as scientists we
lament the missed opportunities to learn more about ancient health, disease, and society in
general when remains must be immediately reburied. These are also of course hotly debated
issues in the scientific community, among Native Americans, legal scholars, land-management
agencies, and other interested parties who are “stakeholders” in the human past, who have
something to gain, if only the pleasure of historic identification, by the knowledge of the past.
Not only is there enormous legal and ethical responsibility in the treatment of human remains,
but also just locating and consulting with descendant communities before investigations are
underway is required. The permission and cooperation of landowners, local communities, and
religious and other authorities must often be obtained before any excavations, but most important
is the permission and interest of any living representatives of the cultural group being
investigated.
What decisions about archaeology should be made in consultation with the diverse groups who
have an interest in the past? Besides if and how to excavate and what studies to do afterwards,
there is the question of the disposition of the materials. Artifacts are the property of the
landowner, unless they are cultural properties that can be identified as belonging to a particular
living group or associated with identifiable human remains.