The Department of Maritime Archaeology at the Western Australian Maritime
Museum is interested in obtaining advice, guidelines or policy statements
from heritage management organizations that are, or have been, involved
with issues to do with the ethics of excavation, curation and display of
European human remains from wreck sites, gravesites and burial sites.
Recent issues relating to the Mary Rose have resulted in statements such as
Pearce (1990) Archaeological Curatorship, Leicester University Press:
"...after the experience of the Mary Rose excavation, where human bodies
were relatively recent and exceptionally well documented, curators would
think more carefully now than once about the curation and display of human
skeletons."
The issue we are involved with relates to the burial sites of the victims
of the Batavia massacre where the graves have recently been the subject of
disturbance. For those that do not know, the Batavia was a Dutch East India
Company ship, wrecked in 1629 on a remote island off the Western Australian
coast. After the wreck a mutiny took place and +50 people were massacred.
Some burial sites have been found, more are known of and it is anticipated
that many have not been found. We wish to examine the possibilities for
management of these sites and with no previous experience in this area we
are keen to obtain information and advice from organizations that have had
experience with this type of situation.
It seem that there is a difference in attitued between the treatment of
'Bog Man' and the bodies on the Mary Rose. What are the ethical
considerations?
 
Jeremy Green
Dept. Maritime Archaeology           __?__
Western Australian Maritime Museum  /     \      -------
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