| Native Americans and Archaeologists: Stepping Stones to Common Ground is a collection of 25 essays based on presentations given during three symposia held at the 1996 meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans. The purpose was to examine the relationship between the scientific community of archaeologists and Native Americans who work in academic and cultural preservation capacities. Issues such as who owns the past, repatriation, NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act), reburial, cultural property, consultation, sacred and sensitive materials, spirituality, and human rights are covered in these papers. There is a balance between the perspectives of tribal organizations and the archaeologists and museum curators. The text is organized into five sections that examine the history of the relationship; changing paradigms; the integration of tradition and science; the relevance of archaeology; and consultation. Presenters include Alan S. Downer, Gary White Deer, Larry J. Zimmerman, G. Peter Jemison, Rebecca Tsosie, Roger Anyon, T. J. Ferguson, Loretta Jackson, Lillie Lane, Philip Vicenti, Roger Echo-Hawk, Leonard A. Forsman, Rose Kluth, Kathy Munnell, Dorothy Lippert, Rena Martin, Loretta Jackson, Robert H. Stevens, Reba Fuller, Cecile Elkins Carter, Billy L. Cypress, Richard M. Begay, Jeffrey Van Pelt, Michael S. Burney, Tom Bailor, John C. Ravesloot, Kurt E. Dongoske, Roger Anyon, Nina Swidler, Janet Cohen, Robert L. Brooks, David G. Rice, Alexa Roberts, T. J. Ferguson, Joe Watkins, and Gordon L. Pullar . G. Peter Jemison outlines a symposium organized just prior to the enactment of the NAGPRA during which scientists and Native Americans discussed the issues of who really owns the past. He draws from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) experience of dealing with museums holding objects of a sacred nature and the opposing views of archaeologists who wish to protect their right to disturb graves and study human remains. Overall this is a thought-provoking collection of papers that provides access for Native Americans working in the museum and archaeological fields to discuss their perspectives about the treatment of their ancestors’ burials and grave objects by museums. |
