Practicum: Thomas Jefferson's Precedent
In this essay I will discuss the early approach to Native American burial sites in archeology. These mounds were excavated and examined as early as 1780 by President Thomas Jefferson, who is now credited for setting the precedent of observing Native Americans from a strictly scientific viewpoint. Drawing from both the expedition recount, “Account of an Expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains: Performed in the Years 1819 and 1820,” by Edwin James, and Skull Wars, by David Thomas, we will discuss the continued approach of this lasting scientific archeology. We will also discuss the ways in which this excavation process continues to have a legacy today, for example, through the NAGPRA disputes over human remains.
Key terms to be familiar with include, the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which was enacted in 1990. This act protects all Native American gravesites, sacred objects, and human remains included.
To start, many Native Americans recognize Thomas Jefferson as the “first modern grave robber.” (Skull Wars, 35). However, his interest in Native American culture did not begin with such poor intentions. Although he had limited first-hand experience with indigenous peoples, Jefferson’s initial goals were to both defend Native Americans from the critiques of their European detractors, as well as in turn “give the United Sates a unique identity” by exposing the intertwined history of whites and native peoples. (Skull Wars, 32).
This social interest soon gave way into a scientific curiosity, as Jefferson became interested in answering his main hypothesis, which proposed that Native Americans were able to construct their gravesite mounds without aid from more “advanced” people and used them to honor their dead. In order to find support this hypothesis, Jefferson ordered his slaves to deconstruct the mounds, hoping that the artifacts inside would consist of buried human remains and prove this point. Because of his limited personal experience with native peoples, he embodied a detachment from the personal aspect of this inquiry, disregarding the religious significance of these monuments. “Perhaps a lack of familiarity is what caused Jefferson to study Indian people from a detached, scientific perspective…He fully anticipated the—and to some degree invented—the natural history mentality that would establish nineteenth-century anthropology’s approach to Indians as scientific specimens….not terribly unlike mastodons and glaciers.” (Skull Wars, 35)
David Thomas describes Jefferson as, “a good natural scientist [who] first described his data---location, size, method of excavation, conditions of bones and artifacts.” (Skull Wars, 34). This information was then published and made accessible for independent data comparisons. Through this exploitation of the Monacan tribe of the Virginia area, he set the precedent for detached archeology with an agenda. By regarding Native Americans and their property as scientific evidence as early as 1780, he laid the groundwork for behavior on expeditions throughout the next hundred years.
We can see the impact that Thomas Jefferson’s actions had on early scientists in the work by Edwin James. In this text, an expedition leaves from Pittsburgh in 1819, and heads downriver on the US Steamboat, The Western Engineer. The purpose of this expedition was to engage in exploring Mississippi, Missouri, and their navigable tributaries while taking field notes along the way. The men were instructed to document findings in nature as well as information on the peoples they encountered.
In the text, the members of the expedition came across mounds similar to those that Thomas Jefferson had excavated. “[They] were covered with heaps of loose stones, probably designed as monuments, to protect graves from the ravages of wolves or other animals.” (Edwin, 51). Other graves were found near the bank of Merameg. (Edwin, 56).
Without hesitation, graves were opened in order to answer the hypothesis of a Native American-Asian trade. The members of the expedition hoped that fragments of pottery and other goods would connect these two peoples and confirm this proposal. “In the first grave opened by Mr. Say were fragments of an earthen pot, and the bones of an infant skull; the second contained what appeared to be the remains of a middle aged man, of the ordinary stature, laid at full length; the bones much confused and broken.” (Edwin, 56). Again, much like with Jefferson, the contents of mounds were recorded and used to answer a scientific inquiry.
It is interesting to note that there is no record in this account of the reaction by Native Americans after their gravesites were dismantled and inspected. This lack of regard shows how the scientific mindset overshadowed the human-to-human connection. So much so, that the members of the expedition were oblivious to the effects of their actions, and either didn’t notice them at all or felt they did not need to be recorded.
Today, mounds and burial sites like these are protected through NAGPRA. Because Thomas Jefferson set the stage as the first to excavate graves, it took over a hundred years to undo this precedent. Under this new act, all artifacts and cultural items belonging to members of Native American descent must be returned from federal agencies and institutions. Further, this act protects Native American items from excavations, although this excludes items found on private lands. As you can see from both the writing of David Thomas and Edwin James, Native American burial sites were regarded as objects of scientific value, and not items with religious and spiritual symbolism, or personal connection. Under this new act, possession is rightfully acknowledged and Native Americans are beginning to lay more claims on the objects that have significance to their culture.