Can we talk about whether we should dig up burial sites or leave them alone?

Had a chat with a Native American elder near Mesa Verde last month who said some digs disrespect the dead for museum money, but my professor argues we learn more from bones than from leaving them in the ground. Where do you folks draw the line on this one?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnthompson1mo ago

I remember reading about a dig in South Dakota a few years back where they found a burial site from the 1400s with over 60 bodies. The university wanted to study them for years, but the local tribes pushed back hard. It was a mess. I guess I lean toward leaving them alone most of the time. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky, but I figure the dead have earned their rest. Plus, I've tripped over enough stuff in my own backyard to know that some things are better left where they are.

spencer_moore391mo ago

Yeah exactly! I totally get where you're coming from. There was this spot near my uncle's farm in Ohio where they found an old cemetery from the 1800s, just a few unmarked graves. Some local college wanted to dig them up for a study, and the community fought it tooth and nail. I remember helping my dad put fence posts in as a kid and we hit bones once, just left them there and filled it back in. The dead deserve their peace, I think. It's not like we're gonna learn anything that changes the world by disturbing them. Good on those tribes for standing their ground.