This was in the "3/6/97 Daily Report fron ACADEME TODAY.  I think it is of
interest to anthropologists in general and is specifically directed to
archaeologists.  What is your opinion?  How do we balance competing "goods"
in the names of science and justice?
Chuck Ellenbaum ><>
Prof of Anth & Rel Stud
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
 
>>>>MAGAZINES & JOURNALS
 
A glance at today's issue of "Nature":
Ethics, archaeology, and the remains of ancient peoples
 
The rights of indigenous peoples often clash with the interests
of archaeologists when the researchers want to study the
skeletal remains of those groups' ancestors. Such conflicts
should be resolved in terms of what is best for all of humanity,
argue D. Gareth Jones and Robyn J. Harris, professors in the
department of anatomy and structural biology at the University
of Otago, in New Zealand. In an opinion essay, they write that
"when skeletal remains are recent and direct links to indigenous
peoples today can be established, the interests of those groups
become paramount." But, they contend, when material cannot be
traced to a specific individual -- and especially when it cannot
be linked to a certain group -- its value to humanity "is much
greater than the stake claimed by specific interest groups."
What ancient remains can teach us about human development and
culture outweighs the concerns of any one group, the scientists
argue. They add, however, that archaeologists must always share
what they learn with the people whose ancestors they are
studying, because "this is their material to 'give.'" (The
magazine may be found at your library or newsstand.)<<<<