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Well, I shamelessly lifted this from elsewhere in the artifact forum universe. I thought it a timely essay, published one year ago by the Archaeological Conservancy, in view of recent discussions here regarding DNA studies of the remains of ancient Americans:
"Very few human remains over 8,000 years old have been found in America. Scientists and Native Americans have waged bitter legal battles for the custody of some of these rare skeletons, while amicably agreeing on the repatriation and reburial of others. Still other remains have rested peacefully in museums for decades."
Here is the complete short essay. BTW, it may be of interest to some, that this essay states, with regards to the remains of 168 individuals in the Windover Bog: "Efforts to sequence DNA have so far been unsuccessful due to the destructive effects of wet, highly acidic bog soils".
This subject has been quite the conundrum in recent years, the case of Kennewick Man being the most famous example, pitting the desire of archaeologists to learn as much as possible regarding the peopling of the Americas, vs the desire of Native Americans to respect the remains of their ancestors.
"Very few human remains over 8,000 years old have been found in America. Scientists and Native Americans have waged bitter legal battles for the custody of some of these rare skeletons, while amicably agreeing on the repatriation and reburial of others. Still other remains have rested peacefully in museums for decades."
Here is the complete short essay. BTW, it may be of interest to some, that this essay states, with regards to the remains of 168 individuals in the Windover Bog: "Efforts to sequence DNA have so far been unsuccessful due to the destructive effects of wet, highly acidic bog soils".
This subject has been quite the conundrum in recent years, the case of Kennewick Man being the most famous example, pitting the desire of archaeologists to learn as much as possible regarding the peopling of the Americas, vs the desire of Native Americans to respect the remains of their ancestors.
