Reburial Issues In Anthropology Essay

While mortuary archaeology is an interesting field, with much to offer, like all forms of academia it comes with its own set of ethical issues and concerns that we all must be cautious of. One of these issues related to reburial, and repatriation is proper treatment of dead by respecting the cultural traditions of those to who the dead belong. Reburial refers to the reburial of remains that have been dug up for study, and is a contentious issue in archaeology, because it prevents further knowledge from being gained, but the open exposure of dead defies numerous cultural traditions. Cultures, such as certain Aboriginal groups in the US and Canada, view the remains of the dead as their ancestors, and that under no circumstances should those remains be disturbed, however, early …show more content…
After discovery, the people who lived on the land where he was found pushed to have his remains reburied following their beliefs on dead and the treatment of ancestors, but anthropologists attempted to stop reburial, citing a loss of knowledge. Kennewick Man was eventually reburied following NAGPRA or the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act. This, however is not limited to Aboriginal graves, but more abstractly, when we examine all forms of graves and bodies, the issue of respecting culture through repatriation and reburial are important even in the work that is taken for granted. Tombs, and pharaohs of Egypt are things of common display in museums, frequently photographed, and yet the sole purpose of existence is burial, for the preservation of remains in a respectful way. While the mummified remains of Pharaohs are not buried physically, the removal of their remains from the final resting place is the same. Archaeology has the responsibility to handle remains with as much consideration for the rights and respect of both the living and the dead, culture and