Essay on The Fight for the Right to Bury

Submitted By Vikkilayne
Words: 1288
Pages: 6
Open Document
The Fight for the Right to Bury
Physical Anthropology

Since the discovery of the Americas, Native Americans have faced discrimination against their burial grounds, ancestors’ remains and religion. America’s beginning bears the blemish of intolerance, segregation and prejudice inflicted on Native Americans. In more recent times Native Americans have advocated for regulations to be put in place to protect them and their ancestors from the discrimination they have so long endured. While they have made some headway, there is still much more to be accomplished.
Native Americans lived predominantly untouched by the rest of the world up until Columbus’s discovery of America. (Echo-Hawk, Foster, and Parker 2004) “Columbus brought old- world attitudes of religious intolerance to this hemisphere, and introduced the notion that the religions of Europe are superior to those of this hemisphere”. His discovery of America ushered in a new era for Natives. An era plagued with hardship, injustice and exploitation. Native’s rights were a casualty when nations from the Old World began the colonization of America. Not only were natives forced, often with violence, to cede their lands but they also lost the right to their ancestors buried in that land. (Russell 2007) James Riding In, a Pawnee historian, coined the phrase “imperial archaeology, the European proposition that the European “discovery” of the Americas conferred the right not only to the soil but also the people buried in that soil”. Sadly this is only the beginning of the abuse Native Americans have suffered.
To Natives (Pettifor 1995) “. . . the people of prehistory are regarded as ancestors and very strongly related. For them a keenly felt issue is that of respect.” They are very spiritual people who hold certain beliefs regarding their dead and the journey from this world to the afterlife. Exhuming ancestral remains is regarded as (Echo-Hawk et al. 2004) “one of the greatest atrocities committed against” Natives. Steve Russell (2007) includes a statement by Riding-In describing what Natives believe about their deceased ancestors, ". . . the dead should rest in peace. Many Indians assert that disinterment stops the spiritual journey of the dead, causing the affected spirits to wander in limbo . . . reburial within Mother Earth enables the disturbed spirits to resume their journey”. Resonating with Riding In’s statement Eric Pettifor (1995) quotes Cecil Antone, “. . . [the dead] has done his work in this world and he is going to another world to go back to the mother earth where we all came from . . . if he is disturbed he is out there, wandering, his spirit is not fully with the mother earth . . .”
Natives have different views from those who don't understand their religion and traditions. They have a certain respect for their ancestors and are deeply sadden when their ancestors are disrespected. The European mindset is that (Pettifor 1995) “if the grave is ancient, descendants of the deceased themselves long buried, the original community lost even to memory, then it is fair to dig it.” Natives are completely against halting a spirits transformation to the afterlife. Natives want Europeans to stop the mistreatment of their dead and ask for respect towards their ancestor’s remains and burial sites. They (Russell 2007) “do not ask Europeans to believe what [they] believe, but [they] ask that [their] dead be treated the same way European dead are treated.”
Archaeologists and other scientists have a real concern about regulations supporting reburial. They believe if the remains are reburied then the (Pettifor 1995) “destruction of data is analogous to the burning of libraries.” But to Natives reburial is important, because if the remains are not returned to the earth then the spirit will be trapped. Reburying an ancestors remains brings joy to Natives because the Natives have (Echo-Hawk et al. 2004) “. . . removed the spirits of [their] ancestors from those
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on The Fight for the Right to Bury

Similarities Between Antigone And Haleh Sahabi

In Sophocles’ play Antigone, a sister tries to bury her brother against her kings’ wishes. In comparison, “Death Comes to a Funeral,” an article by Erica Alini, depicts the story of an Iranian woman fighting for women’s rights against her government’s wishes. Haleh Sahabi was the second Iranian female icon in 2009 because of her bravery to protest women’s rights in a gathering in Beharstan Square resulting in her being arrested and sent to serve a two-year prison term for participation. Haleh was…

Words 235 - Pages 1

Family In Sophocles Antigone

you have heard that they will only bury one because the other betrayed the family; what would you do? Would you stay loyal to your brother or follow the rules and not bury him? In Antigone, Polyneicês and Eteoclês died in the war but Polyneicês was fighting against his brother so Creon the king of Thebes decides that Eteoclês will be buried with honors but Polyneicês wouldn’t he will be left on the fields for that carrion birds. Creon threatens that whoever buries Polyneicês will be executed but Antigone…

Words 519 - Pages 3

Antigone In Thebes Summary

and Polynices have been fighting each other. They fight for control of Thebes The two brothers killed each other in battle and this forced Polynices army to retreat out of the city because they don’t have a leader anymore. Creon takes over Antigone is sad about her brothers dying and so Ismene Antigone says that anyone who attempts to bury Polynices besides her should be killed. Ismene listens to the king instead of her sister’s request to bury her brother and follows the king's orders, otherwise…

Words 579 - Pages 3

Creon Tragic Hero In Antigone

against the gods rules and made his own , then when he refused to bury polyneices , lastly when his wife and son killed themselves. Creon's first mistake was going against the gods saying that polyneices is to not be buried. “Polyneices , i say , is to have no burial.” Creon wouldn't give him a burial because he turned on his city and traded on them. The gods laws say that every man deserves a burial. After this he tried to make right and bury…

Words 343 - Pages 2

Essay on Oedipus and Antigone

Greece's Golden Age of Drama, women did not have the ability to speak what was on their minds. Antigone is an outspoken person," Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way" (l.26). Antigone will not at all let anyone get in her way to bury her brother Polyneices, not even Creon. Antigone does not mind her words. "Oh, tell it. Tell Everyone!" (l.76). When Ismene tells her that she will keep the secret of her burying Polyneices, Antigone reveals that she wants everyone to…

Words 737 - Pages 3

Oedipus and Antigone Essay

JT and Jordan Argument 3 Block 2 Antigone Is Justified Antigone was courageous and willing to die for her cause. She thinks burying her brother was the right thing to do. When she approaches her sister Ismene for help to bury Polyneices, she speaks fearlessly about her willingness to die for her cause, “But if I must bury him, and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy, I shall lie down with him in death and I shall be as dear to him as he to me” (1.2.57-60). She disobeyed Creon and buried…

Words 289 - Pages 2

Pride And Tragedy In Sophocles Things Fall Apart

stubbornness . Antigone is very stubborn because she buries her brother, Polynices, which was against Creon’s law, and knows that her consequence would be death, yet she still does it. Creon is stubborn in that he refuses to listen to Antigone’s reasoning with an open mind. For both Antigone and Things Fall Apart, pride and stubbornness inevitably caused the suffering, tragedy, and ending of Antigone and…

Words 880 - Pages 4

Antigone Personal Beliefs

burying him when her actions were against the law. Antigone did what she thought was right and defended herself against the king, who made a law against religion and did not stick with the law. She believed that people must be buried and have death rights to pass over, the kingdom also thought this. Polynices was her last brother and she was willing to do anything to honor him. Antigone was right when she decided to bury her brother because she defended her religion and personal beliefs, honored…

Words 696 - Pages 3

case study, Albert Anyder, Petitioner vs Fred W Phelps Essays

the signs were enough to override all of that. It is truly shocking to me how this is allowed because it is a matter of public issues being spoken about. When a student held up a sign stating “Bong Hits for Jesus” the courts laughed when he tried to fight for freedom of speech because he was promoting drug use in a school environment. In this case, Westboro picketers are promoting hatred towards soldiers for doing their job. Soldiers risk their lives for this country every day and should not be treated…

Words 901 - Pages 4

Comparing Heroism In Antigone And Letters From Birmingham Jail

similar characteristics that would otherwise be overlooked without deep analysis. Both literary works display a sense of honor and heroism through the protagonist, Antigone, and civil rights activist, Martin Luther King. In the play Antigone it shows a girl that is willing to go to Thebes to stop her brothers in the fight to the death for the throne. Antigone explains her plans to her sister Ismene. When Antigone gets there she soon realizes that her brothers died. The difference of both their deaths…

Words 352 - Pages 2