6-2 Final Project Part I Submission Cultural Ethics Analysis Report

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School

Southern New Hampshire University *

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Course

320

Subject

Anthropology

Date

Apr 3, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by brooke.crossman on coursehero.com

Brooke Crossman ATH 320 SNHU October 7, 2023

Interest Statement All parties involved can benefit from the study and preservation of the cultural site but not all interested parties have ethically sound reasons. I have decided to focus on the local Native American tribes and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in addition to the previous landowners, private university and the state government. I chose to write on these two groups because they have the most positive impact and interest on the site compared to the other three groups. UNESCO is known for their specialization in handling and preserving cultural sites all over the world and they are bound by their ethics to have the utmost respect for all cultures. Local Native American tribes have direct ties to the artifacts and land and the location is a part of their heritage, culture and history. Party Involvement The local Native Americans have the highest interest in any dig site that is on their land or uncovers items and artifacts that may be found. They have a right to claim any findings that belonged to their tribe’s ancestors whether it be on their land or off their land. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) requires federal agencies and museums to return certain Native American items unless they can provide that they have a right to possess the objects (GAO). Objects that need to be returned to the tribe include sacred items, funerary items, or items that have cultural patrimony. Their involvement in a dig site and any artifacts found would ultimately be a positive one because they want to protect and preserve their tribes’ history and story for their heritage. Allowing them to have the decision to either reclaim these items for their heritage or deciding to donate to a museum should be done.

UNESCO also has a large interest in the site because of its historical and archeological data and its diverse culture that can be preserved to study and admire. Their primary interest would be in the burial mounds or the homestead for their historical and cultural value. It is likely that UNESCO would classify the site as a world heritage site and in turn the excavations and research would be led by them to ensure the site is respected and treated with the utmost care in order to successfully preserve it. UNESCO would positively impact this site because of their deep-rooted care and respect that is given through preserving and studying cultures to highlight them for knowledge and historical purposes. The private university has interest in the site because of the educational purposes it gives through its history, anthropology and cultural departments. The university being involved also contributes financially to itself through investors. This brings increased credibility and funds that investors will give to support future digs. Although they would be working to continue their financial contributions from investors, ultimately the university’s presence at the site and their work would overall be a positive one due to the educational value that can be given to students present and future. The previous landowner's reasons for wanting to study the site relate to financial gain or a potential business opportunity. They hold the most negative impact on the site as they would only have interest in profiting off the site since they have no personal ties to any artifacts or remains that would be found within the site. It is highly likely that the previous owners would sell the artifacts off or auction them to the highest bidder to maximize profit. They possibly could simply want to preserve the familial ties that they have to the land and maybe against alteration or development on the land without receiving compensation.

The state government historically potentially handles situations like this unethically by their delayed cooperation. All too often the state government will take a long time to even come out with acknowledging that they have the artifacts and then take even longer to return them to the associated tribes. But the state government could also positively impact the site by documenting and helping with the preservation of the cultural site for record keeping. There are laws in place that protect historic and cultural sites from being handled inappropriately or maliciously. They also are the governing body in deciding who has jurisdiction over the site and who has ownership. Research 1. The previous landowners: I have found two resources for the invested party, the previous owners. These two resources shine light on previous owners in similar situations in which they become invested and more aware of their heritage and how they can share that with the public. These resources do touch on the legal side with regulations that can come into play when it comes to unearthing archeological discoveries within privately owned land and what the responsibilities are of those landowners as well. I was not able to find any resources that entailed unethical behavior. Humans are inherently greedy, so I assume there is something out there entailing unethical behavior from humans. D’Innocenzo, P. (1997). “Not in My Backyard!” Protecting Archaeological Sites on Private Lands. American Indian Law Review , 21 (1), 131–155. https://doi.org/10.2307/20068817 Mardon, A. A., Arna, A., Ullah, U. A., Rande, A., & Martin, A. (2021). The Sutton Hoo: A look into the Anglo-Saxon Past. Golden Meteorite Press .

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