Author : Elizabeth Weiss
Publisher : University Press of Florida
ISBN 13 : 1683401859
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (834 download)
Book Synopsis Repatriation and Erasing the Past by : Elizabeth Weiss
Download or read book Repatriation and Erasing the Past written by Elizabeth Weiss and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2020-08-18 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engaging a longstanding controversy important to archaeologists and indigenous communities, Repatriation and Erasing the Past takes a critical look at laws that mandate the return of human remains from museums and laboratories to ancestral burial grounds. Anthropologist Elizabeth Weiss and attorney James Springer offer scientific and legal perspectives on the way repatriation laws impact research. Weiss discusses how anthropologists draw conclusions about past peoples through their study of skeletons and mummies and argues that continued curation of human remains is important. Springer reviews American Indian law and how it helped to shape laws such as NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act). He provides detailed analyses of cases including the Kennewick Man and the Havasupai genetics lawsuits. Together, Weiss and Springer critique repatriation laws and support the view that anthropologists should prioritize scientific research over other perspectives.