Lina Saloum
Head of Anthropology Department
8115 Randy Dr.
Westland, MI. 48185
10/19/2015
Dr. Jeffress
President
Schoolcraft College
18600 Haggerty Rd.
Livonia, MI. 48215
Dear Dr. Jeffress: The boxes that I have received from a former student were remarkable. I have looked through the boxes, and saw, many different artifacts from many origins. These artifacts could be of many important values to Science and Scientific studies. Searching through these boxes, I have found a labeled box that had some fascinating items. In this box, there was some containers of birch bark construction with quillwork, and some beadwork on moccasins and leggings. In another unlabeled box, I have found some arrow points and some incredible Chaco-style pottery shards from the Southwest as well as two bones of a human hand. As a professional archeologist, I suggest the ethical course of action for these objects and items is first we should contact the former student for the unlabeled box and ask him for some information such as, the labels and names for each item and their origins. Then, we should make an inventory and notify the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Some items are of concern, such as the two human hand bones, and the arrow points because they do not have a label on them. …show more content…
The issue that the NAGPRA has been that people, federal agencies, museums, and universities have a hold on cultural items that belong to the Native Americans, and they’re selling them and getting funds from the federal. Another issue that NAGPRA has is that they want to protect the Native American tribes and their burial sites so that the organization can take control of the human remains and the funerary objects so people will not remove them or steal
Head of Anthropology Department
8115 Randy Dr.
Westland, MI. 48185
10/19/2015
Dr. Jeffress
President
Schoolcraft College
18600 Haggerty Rd.
Livonia, MI. 48215
Dear Dr. Jeffress: The boxes that I have received from a former student were remarkable. I have looked through the boxes, and saw, many different artifacts from many origins. These artifacts could be of many important values to Science and Scientific studies. Searching through these boxes, I have found a labeled box that had some fascinating items. In this box, there was some containers of birch bark construction with quillwork, and some beadwork on moccasins and leggings. In another unlabeled box, I have found some arrow points and some incredible Chaco-style pottery shards from the Southwest as well as two bones of a human hand. As a professional archeologist, I suggest the ethical course of action for these objects and items is first we should contact the former student for the unlabeled box and ask him for some information such as, the labels and names for each item and their origins. Then, we should make an inventory and notify the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). Some items are of concern, such as the two human hand bones, and the arrow points because they do not have a label on them. …show more content…
The issue that the NAGPRA has been that people, federal agencies, museums, and universities have a hold on cultural items that belong to the Native Americans, and they’re selling them and getting funds from the federal. Another issue that NAGPRA has is that they want to protect the Native American tribes and their burial sites so that the organization can take control of the human remains and the funerary objects so people will not remove them or steal