Issue: Preserving Archaeological Heritage in War Stricken Countries

I found this story when I was looking through some news articles related to archaeology. This particular story piqued my interest because it shows how hard it is to always put archaeology, history, and heritage ahead of everything. This case is obviously an extreme of putting other things above the ethic responsibility to preserve culture and heritage, but it does open up one’s eyes to the real issues.

The article to which I am referring is from the BBC New Magazine, titled “Murder, mayhem and museums” by Caroline Wyatt (see link below for full article). In this article, Wyatt addresses the issue of preserving Iraq’s archaeological history in the midst of its war. I would assume that this is a particularly difficult thing to accomplish in a country that has been war stricken for years, and it is remarkable to see that people are still making the effort.

Wyatt also mentions that the British Museum is currently holding and displaying many of Iraq’s ancient treasures since Iraq is not yet prepared for tourists. I thought that this was an excellent example of UNESCO’s and ICOMOS’s guidelines: that, essentially, all people (and thus all countries) have the moral obligation to protect cultural heritage, regardless if it is your own or not.

All countries and cultures have the right to have their heritage protected, and there is no exception for those countries that are war stricken. 

"Murder, mayhem and museums" By Caroline Wyatt

Issue: Theft of Geronimo's Remains

Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache in the 19^th century. In 1886 he became a prisoner of war of the United States of America when he surrendered to the authorities after an extended pursuit. As an aged prisoner of war he earned some celebrity status. He was not allowed to return to his home land and died in 1909 from pneumonia complications in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. His remains were buried at Fort Sill in the Apache Indian Prisoner of War Cemetery. Geronimo’s remains remained at peace until World War I, when his bones were allegedly stolen by members of the secret society, Skull and Bones.

Skull and Bones is an undergraduate secret society at Yale University that was founded in 1832. The society’s members have become known as ‘Bonesmen,’ which have included several prominent men such as, George H.W. Bush, his son George W. Bush, and John Kerry.  It was some of these men that former San Carlos Apache Chairman, Ned Anderson, accused for stealing the bones of Geronimo after receiving an anonymous letter, with a photograph and a copy of a logbook of Skull and Bones, in 1986. The letter, photograph, and logbook claimed that Skull and Bones had the skull of Geronimo. Anderson met with the group’s attorney, Endicott P. Davidson, who denied that Skull and Bones had Geronimo’s skull and that what Anderson had received was a prank.

In 2009, Ramsey Clark asked for the return of Geronimo’s remains in a lawsuit filed on behalf of people claiming to be the descendants of Geronimo. Skull and Bones and all others accused in the lawsuit stated that, since the 1986 letter was a prank, there was no evidence against the fact that the bones still remained at the grave site in Fort Sill.

This story, whether true or not, brings up some very pressing issues in archaeological ethics. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) states that all federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding must return Native American cultural items and remains to their respective peoples. If Geronimo’s remains were stolen from his grave then Skull and Bones is in direct violation of this law and should be punished accordingly. Due to the secrecy of the society though, it is almost impossible to find out the actual truth of the matter. It may be particularly difficult to get to the bottom of this issue because in order to check to see if all of Geronimo’s remains are still intact, his grave would have to be dug up. The digging up of his grave poses a problem because Native Americans do not wish to disturb their dead. Therefore it is almost impossible to prove whether or not the remains were ever stolen.

This story was also of personal interest because it shed light on secret societal operations and how conspiracies can become real issues. Skull and Bones is very secretive and is therefore a favourite source to pin conspiracy theories around. What if the 1986 letter sent to Ned Anderson was truly a prank? If it was a harmless prank then it has clearly been blown way out of proportion and has upset several people, Native American and non.   

I personally have a special connection to Native American issues as I have some Inuit family and am aware of how important their ancestors heritage and culture is to their continuing existence. Even though this issue takes place in the United States, it brings to the forefront the issues that are facing Native Americans all over the world. Pieces of their heritage and culture have been stripped from them due to the carelessness of ‘non-Native Americans.’  It is important that everyone becomes aware of these issues and makes an effort to support Native Americans and their struggle with gaining back all pieces of their culture and heritage.

Issue: The Ka Nefer-Nefer Mask

The Ka-Nefer-Nefer mask is a funeral mask of the Egyptian noblewomen of the same name from the nineteenth dynasty. In 1998 the mask was purchased by the St. Louis Art Museum from the art supplier, Phoenix Ancient Art of New York and Geneva. The art supplier stated that the mask had been found in an excavation at Saqqara in 1951 and 1952 and was on the market by 1952. Ton Cremers of Museum Security Net questioned the legitimacy of the mask in 2006. Cremers suggested instead that in 1985 the mask had been stolen from storage in Saqqara. Zahi Hawass, secretary-general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities asked that the mask be returned to Egypt and produced documentation which showed that the mask had been registered as property of the Egyptian government in 1953. The director of the St. Louis Art Museum, Brent Benjamin, rejected Hawass’ request stating that the museum had contacted the Art Loss Register, Interpol, and the Egyptian Museum prior to acquiring the mask and received no notification suggesting that the mask had been stolen.

This story was of particular interest to me because I am a huge fan of ancient Egyptian history and it is a shame to see pieces of it being taken away from its home country. The theft of Egyptian antiquities is a concern to many people and is a major concern to Egypt as a whole. The past theft of Egyptian antiquities must still cause much distress throughout Egypt, especially since the uprisings and the ‘Egyptian Revolution’ of January 2011. Egypt is struggling to protect its heritage in the midst of violence and the robbery of antiquities is making it virtually impossible for the country to protect its history. I believe that it is not only Egypt’s responsibility to track down the lost antiquities, but also a responsibility to the rest of the world. Although it is important to spread the history of a country throughout the world, it is necessary to attribute the artifact to the country of origin.