The public trust and the First Americans

428 Pages·1995·0.96 MB·English

by  Ruthann Knudson, Bennie C. Keel, Oregon State University. Center for the Study of the First Americans

title: The Public Trust and the First Americans
author: Knudson, Ruthann.; Keel, Bennie C.
publisher: Oregon State University Press
isbn10 | asin: 0870710257
print isbn13: 9780870710254
ebook isbn13: 9780585271309
language: English
Indians of North America--Antiquities--
Collection and preservation--Congresses,
Indians of North America--Antiquities--Law
subject and legislation--Congresses, Archaeology--
Moral and ethical aspects--United States--
Congresses, Cultural property, Protection
of--Un
publication date: 1995
lcc: E77.9.P62 1995eb
ddc: 973.1
Indians of North America--Antiquities--
Collection and preservation--Congresses,
Indians of North America--Antiquities--Law
subject: and legislation--Congresses, Archaeology--
Moral and ethical aspects--United States--
Congresses, Cultural property, Protection
of--Un
Page i
The Public Trust and the First Americans
Page ii
THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE FIRST
AMERICANS
The Center for the Study of the First Americans is an affiliate of the
Department of Anthropology at Oregon State University, established
in July 1981 by a seed grant from Mr. William Bingham's Trust for
Charity. Its goals are to encourage research about Pleistocene peoples
of the Americas, and to make this new knowledge available to both
the scientific community and the interested public. Toward this end,
the Center staff is developing research, public outreach, and
publications programs.
The Center's Peopling of the Americas publication program focuses
on the earliest Americans and their environments. The Center also
publishes a quarterly newspaper called the Mammoth Trumpet, written
for both a general and a professional audience, as well as an annual
journal, Current Research in the Pleistocene, which presents note-
length articles about current research in the interdisciplinary field of
Quaternary studies as they relate to the Pleistocene peopling of the
Americas.
Manuscript Submissions
BOOKS
The Center solicits high-quality original manuscripts in English. For
information write to: Robson Bonnichsen, Center for the Study of the
First Americans, Department of Anthropology, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, OR 97331 or call [phone].
CURRENT RESEARCH IN THE PLEISTOCENE
Researchers wishing to submit summaries in this annual serial should
contact editor Bradley T. Lepper, Ohio High School, 1982 Velma
Avenue, Columbus, OH 43211-2497 or request Information for
Contributors from the Center. The deadline for submission is January
31 of each calendar year; early submission is suggested.
MAMMOTH TRUMPET
New of discoveries, reports on recent conferences, book reviews, and
news of current issues invited. Contact editor Don Hall, Center for the
Study of the First Americans at [phone].
ADDITIONALLY . . .
Authors are encouraged to submit reprints of published articles or
copies of unpublished papers for inclusion in the Center's research
library. Exchanges of relevant books and periodicals with other
publishers is also encouraged. Please address contributions and
correspondence to the Center's library.
Page iii
The Public Trust and the First Americans
Ruthann Knudson
Bennie C. Keel
Editors
Page iv
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book
Longevity of the Council on Library Resources and the minimum
requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The public trust and the First Americans / Ruthann
Knudson & Bennie C. Keel, editors.
p. cm.
Papers presented at the Public Trust Symposium at the
World Summit Conference on the Peopling of the Americas,
held at the University of Maine, Orono, May 24-28, 1989.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-87071-025-7 (alk. paper)
1. Indians of North AmericaAntiquitiesCollection and
preservationCongresses. 2. Indians of North America
AntiquitiesLaw and legislationCongresses. 3.
ArchaeologyUnited StatesMoral and ethical aspects
Congresses. 4. Cultural property, Protection ofUnited
StatesCongresses. 5. United StatesAntiquitiesCongresses.
I. Knudson, Ruthann. II. Keel, Bennie C., 1934- .III.
Center for the Study of the First Americans (Oregon State
University). IV. Public Trust Symposium (1989 : University
of Maine)
E77.9.P62 1995 95-7423
973.1dc20 CIP
Copyright © Center for the Study of the First Americans 1995
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Page v
To
Hannah Marie Wormington
1914-1994
"In the future, as in the past, the gathering of information will depend to a
great extent on cooperation between avocational and professional
archaeologists"
H.M. Wormington
Colorado Archaeological Society, 1978
Page vii
FOREWORD
Dennis Stanford
This volume focuses on the concept that the archaeological remains of
the First Americans are part of a public trust to be protected and used
to the benefit of all people: the general public, avocational
archaeologists, Native Americans, and professional archaeologists
alike. As with all trust relationships, there are mutual responsibilities.
Avocational archaeologists know the land and its resources perhaps
better than do most professional archaeologists, who spend most of
their time teaching, in museums, or managing public and private
organizations. In this foreword, the relationship between the
avocational and professional archaeologist is emphasized.
There is currently distrust among amateurs, professional
archaeologists, and Native Americans where partnerships are needed
to meet public trust responsibilities. Recent U.S. archaeological
protection laws have inhibited cooperation among these groups, and
efforts need to be made to reestablish connections for inventory,
analysis, and interpretation. Partnerships are based on earned respect
and mutual expectations. For example, the general public as well as
archaeologists need to respect the spiritual qualities of ancient Native
American sites and artifacts. And scientific analysis of First
Americans' physical remains can provide much needed information
important to addressing modern Native American health issues and
supporting additional Native American understanding of their past.
Paleoindian studies are multidisciplinary and require a variety of
scientific expertise and significant local knowledge. Most Paleoindian
sites have been found and reported by avocational archaeologists and
interested landowners or by geologists in the course of their research.