Friday, November 14, 1997
Concern should be for people, not paymentsBy Joseph G.
Nelson
Despite the mounds of books that I am buried under, as I
struggle with my thesis, I think that it is my duty as an American
Indian student to offer a few thoughts on Native Americans. It is
highly unlikely that any Indian issues will be directly raised
because there are so few of us on campus. The Indian population on
campus, or lack thereof, has been a concern of mine for years. I
may or may not discuss that today.
Is the United States occupying land stolen from the Native
Americans? Well, yes it is. Some of it is stolen, some of it is
rented. One day, maybe we (Indians) will address our immigration
problem. But for now, I think that most of us are choosing to live
in the now. If you have time to dwell on the past, chances are that
life is not treating you too bad at all.
Right now most of the Native Americans on campus are stored in
plastic bags and boxes in the basement of Haines Hall. Of course,
these Indians have all passed away. Many were directly or
indirectly killed by the white man; now they are fortunate enough
to have their burial grounds and remains desecrated by the white
man. I wonder if our new chancellor has visited these members of
our campus community yet?
Under federal law, these remains and other objects are subject
to repatriation. The University of California has recently updated
its own repatriation policy. Without going into detail, this new
policy sucks. The first paragraph of the policy reads:
"It is the policy of the University of California to assure the
respectful and dignified treatment of human remains and the
consideration of living descendants of those deceased, while also
fulfilling its mission in archeological teaching, research, and
public service through the continued study of human remains,
funerary objects and other items of cultural significance."
Can someone explain to me, exactly what is respectful and
dignified about digging up the remains of someone’s grandmother and
storing her in a box in the basement of some old building? Can
students check out a box of bones like a library book? I think that
I have a grandparent in drawer No. 77. How exactly do all of these
dead people help the university fulfill its teaching and research
mission? If these items and others are of cultural significance, I
do not understand why they are not in the possession of those
people. Maybe the office of the president and the chancellor can do
us a public service by returning these people to the earth in a
respectful and dignified manner.
Considering the attitude of our regents, it is not likely that
these people will be returned home anytime soon. Many California
Indian tribes are not recognized by the federal government.
Unfortunately, "it is the policy of the University of California
that human remains and cultural items determined to be related to
present-day groups that are not federally recognized shall be
characterized and reported, under the terms specified by the
federal law, as ‘culturally unidentifiable.’" So these people
exist, but the university says, "We do not care and we will
continue to respectfully store your ancestors in a box in Haines
Hall."
Reparations and grievances have a time and place, but
unfortunately, when dealing with them, it is usually the case that
some higher power or authority has to care. We should not disregard
or forget the past, rather we should learn from it and look
forward. As a UCLA American Indian student, I like to live in the
now and search for solutions to current problems. At the moment, I
am wondering why there are more dead Indians than living Indians at
UCLA. I am also wondering why so many of the Indians here have
blonde hair and blue eyes.