The Anthropology Of Genocide - WNLibrary

confronting genocide of indigenous peoples 77
(ibid.: lvii) pointed out, “Time and again throughout this [the twentieth] century,
some of the first warnings that a genocidal act was taking place were the appearance
of first-person accounts by members of the victim group who either managed
to escape or smuggle out reports, and/or accounts by other witnesses (e.g., journalists,
consular officials, relief workers).” Besides eyewitness accounts, there are
other indications of potential genocides, including increased rates of beatings,
killings, kidnappings, and disappearances, and heightened refugee flows.
The threats facing indigenous peoples include the lack of efforts on the part of
states and regional governments that contribute to the insecurity of indigenous peoples;
these would include incomplete demarcation of reserve areas, failure to prosecute
individuals or companies that enter reserves that have been legally gazetted,
and allowing individuals or groups that have committed human rights violations
against indigenous people to get away with their crimes. Preconditions for genocide
include rising numbers of arrests, extrajudicial executions, disappearances,
and heated rhetoric in the media, all of which were seen, for example, in the cases
of Burundi and, more recently, Rwanda (African Rights 1995b; Neier 1998). Coming
up with detailed assessments of the factors that result in genocides is crucial if
these crimes are to be predicted.
We, along with Whitaker (1985:44), support the establishment of an international
body to deal with genocide. Such a body could have a section that analyzes
data on potential genocides and be empowered with the authority to bring any urgent
situations to the attention of the secretary-general of the United Nations and
other appropriate institutions.
In October 1992, the United Nations Security Council agreed, albeit somewhat
reluctantly, to undertake a formal investigation into the allegations concerning death
camps, ethnic cleansing, and mass rape in Bosnia. The panel, known as the Commission
of Experts, was aimed in part at preparing the way for a war crimes tribunal.
The War Crimes Tribunal was established in 1993, the first time such a tribunal
had been set up since the trials held in Nuremberg and Japan following World War
II. There has been a certain amount of reluctance on the part of the United
Nations leadership to pursue high-level individuals as war criminals, but the tribunal
is now issuing indictments. Indictments have also now been issued by the International
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). We hope that both of these tribunals will follow
through on prosecution of those responsible for genocide and war crimes.
Anthropologists and archaeologists can play significant roles in predicting, documenting,
and investigating pregenocidal and genocidal situations. Anthropologists
sometimes find themselves in situations where they witness violence and poor treatment
of people (Nordstrom and Robben 1995). Some of them have recorded their
observations carefully and made them available to human rights organizations and
to the media. Others have shared information on government plans that might affect
local people, and some have assisted in organizing resistance efforts. Careful
documentation of allegedly genocidal actions with the use of archaeological and
forensic techniques has been done in Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador,