Ethical Issues In Archaeology: Giovanni Belzoni

We wanted to inform you about a pressing issue that is visibly affecting large communities across Canada and that is the depreciation of Indigenous culture surrounding culture-nature dualism.

One theory that is useful for explaining this Native American conflict is primordialism. One of the main ideas of primordialist theory is a biologically traceable

An unscrupulous archaeologist by the name of Henirich Hochstetter excavated the Shoen-Tell site in Turkey in the late 1920s. Hochstetter was interested more in antiquities than in data, so he provided little substantive information tot eh professional community about his dig or his findings. However, a conscientious assistant of Hochstetter’s, Roxanne Browne, managed to collect detailed information on fifty of the burials Hochstetter plundered. Her data is

Vance (1995) stated, “For nearly 500 years there has been a very oppressive, dishonest and manipulative message being voiced by the dominant white Angelo culture towards Native Americans, This has caused a great distrust, anger and conflicting attitudes for the Native American community” (p.1).

Sometimes the controversy goes beyond disagreement on factual information, such as the age of humanity or source of Earth’s creation, and how we cover this information in schools. In the case of certain American Indian groups, there has been conflict in the actual excavation of artifacts, preventing physical evidence from being utilized for limitless amounts of scientific conclusion. There has been disharmony in the idea of ownership and increased distrust, which is most likely in part due to the American Indians’ deeply regrettable historic relationship with the United States government.

It is very unsafe to transport very valuable artifacts, and to travel to see them in run down areas. According to Ms. Maniscalco “I don’t think it’s up to me to create tourist itineraries, but I can complain about the closed roads. Why aren’t they fixed? These are political problems” (Donadio). This also supports the point that artifacts should not be returned because the artifacts may get broken and not be worth what they were before they were broken. Another example would be that, “These treasures await those who make the sometimes difficult journey”

The issue concerning the long battle between Native Americans and scientists seems to go back as long as scientists have begun studying the evolution of the human race. Generally the bones being study come from thousands of years ago and the Native Americans believe strongly that these remains belong to their ancestors. They do not agree at all with the scientists studying their remains and believe that their remains should be given a proper and final burial. In many Native American cultures, this final burial is the way to allow their ancestors to leave this world and to travel into the afterlife. It is a way of putting their soul to rest and allowing them to gracefully depart from this world. But if their remains are being studied and picked apart; the Native Americans believe that this will disturb the path of crossing into the afterlife and could potentially have a bad effect, as well as being very

Collecting objects from a specific culture is also unethical, not because objects are being stolen, but because people are being put on display as if they are not human. In Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Indian skulls and bones are “labeled like a library book with a tracking number, wrapped in coarse white muslin, and packed in a cardboard box” (1). People are viewing these exhibits and looking at the bones as if they are normal objects you see every day. These bones were once humans, and they are being shown off like animals. Labeling them like library books shows the dehumanization of these exhibits, which is ironic because institutions and collectors find their culture so interesting. In a way, this can be considered racist. While discussing this piece, a classmate said “Why are we [as in, Native Americans] so interesting to you [as in, mostly white historians]; why don’t we have exhibits

How long must a person be dead for it to be considered anthropology and not grave robbing? The answer should be never, but many government officials don’t agree. In the summer of 1996, a skull was found in the Columbia River. After a police investigation, a nearly complete skeleton was found. Forensic anthropologist James Chatters began to study the bones and after a carbon dating test, the skeleton was found to be over 9,000 years old! Almost immediately five tribes, many anthropologists (including Chatters), some government officials, and a few other groups began to sue each other for the rights to the remains. The Native Americans believed the man to be their ancestor donning him the “Ancient One” and wish to rebury him due to religious

The impact of the Havasupai case further drew out the already existing negative relations between the medical community and native tribes. Nanibaa’ Garrison speaks on this relationship: “as a consequence of the Havasupai case and prior instances of genetic research injustices, many tribes continue to refuse participation in genetic research despite researchers’ ongoing efforts to recruit them” (Garrison 2013, 204). Many tribes including the Havasupai set up formal orders banishing researchers from stepping on to their reservations and halting all current and future research, “even that which might benefit the tribe” (204). Researchers and IRB members also show signs of wanting to take further action to protect themselves from lawsuits. Many mentioned that they would shift toward

One of the main reasons people believe that Egyptian artifacts should stay in Britain or France is because they believe the weather, humidity, and location will make the important artifacts decay quicker. I strongly disagree with this statement because Egypt has very many museums dedicated to ancient Egypt which the artifacts can be displayed in. Many pieces like King Tutankhamen’s mask is now being displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt. That important artifact was once in a tomb. However, they did move it to museum, in Egypt. In addition, many tourists and travelers go to Egypt to see Egyptian artifacts. The same way someone would go to France to see the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum. These tourists wouldn't want to go to Egyptian museums and see barely any antiquities from the ancient times of the

The Archaeologist in Fiction Archaeology is one of the greatest examples of inaccurate and overdramatized job portrayals in fiction works. This can best be seen through analyzing the 1999 summer classic, The Mummy. From lost cities made visible by sunrise, to the ancient dead rising again to exact revenge, this movie is a huge archaeological trope through and through.

The excavation and discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb was as a result of the efforts of the Archaeologist Howard Carter and his team. Carter’s discovery of the tomb came by finding steps to the burial near the entrance to the tomb Ramses VI. The subsequent excavated of the site by Carter and his team revealed the greatest ever treasure found from an Egyptian tomb and showed the existence of Tutankhamun. Carter’s methodology for the excavation was that of maintaining records for each artefact and that every artefact that was brought out of the tomb was preserved appropriately. The discovery and excavation of the tomb was a long and complex process but with it revealed much about Tutankhamun.

). It is so important for Native Peoples to fight for their land and make the Non-Native peoples aware of their history, so they can stand by each other if a potential project could damage both.

Each individual makes up the society as it is, and various characteristics and beliefs makes up an individual. Although, individual lives together with a variety of personal ideologies, emotions, cultures, and rituals, they all differentiate one person from the other making up one’s own identity. This identity makes up who one is inside and out, their behaviour, actions, and words comes from their own practices and values. However, the profound history of Indigenous people raises question in the present about their identities. Who are they really? Do we as the non-native people judge them from the outside or the inside? Regardless of whether the society or the government were involved in their lives, they faced discrimination in every