Bioarchaeologists and American Indians in the New Millennium
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2004 Seeking after Empire: Bioarchaeologists and American Indians in the New Millennium Michelle Dawn Hamilton University of Tennessee, Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Hamilton, Michelle Dawn, "Seeking after Empire: Bioarchaeologists and American Indians in the New Millennium. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2004. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/4542 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Michelle Dawn Hamilton entitled "Seeking after Empire: Bioarchaeologists and American Indians in the New Millennium." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Anthropology. Murray K. Marks, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Walter E. Klippel, John C. Neff, Michael H. Logan Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Michelle Dawn Hamilton entitled "Seeking afterEmpire: Bioarchaeologists and American Indians in the New Millennium." I have examined the finalpaper copy of this dissertation forform and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillmentof the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Anthropology. We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Acceptance fo : C==='----� Vice Chancellor an Graduate Studies SEEKING AFTER EMPIRE: BIOARCHAEOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN INDIANS IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM A Dissertation Presented forthe Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Michelle Dawn Hamilton December 2004 Copyright © 2004 by Michelle Dawn Hamilton Allrights reserved. 11 DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my family,the finestpeople I have ever known. To my parents, Anna Antonia Clemente Hamilton and Billy Dale Hamilton; I hope you realize how much your love, patience, kindness, and humor have always been a source of comfort and support to me, even when we were a continent apart. To my sister Nicole Scilla Hamilton; you are the most generous, funny, and decent sister I could ever hope for. You have always been an inspiration to me, and I am so lucky that you are in my life. I would like all three of you to know that it was yourconstant support and gentle, insistent, unrelenting, merciless, inescapable encouragementthat made this work possible. Put on your sunglasses, we're finallyat the end of the tunnel! I also dedicate this to my grandparents, Amalio and Clelia Clemente, fortheir long-sufferingpatience and equally long-abiding love. Lastly, to my dear friend Quasi and to my pals Shadow and Morfeo, who have never been anything but cheerful impediments to progress along every stage of this project. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my doctoral committee who assisted me throughoutthis project: Dr. Murray Marks, from my first introduction, has always been a source of friendshipand guidance; I have been immeasurably enriched by his scholarship, good humor, and creativity. As a true student of the discipline of anthropology, he has helped to shape my own views throughhis teaching, insight, and enthusiasm. During the course of this project, he acted as a critical sounding board for many of the ideas contained within, and I am indebted to him forthe thought-provokingquestions and challengeshe posed. Besides, no one can tell a Mary Leakey or T. Dale Stewart story like Murray can. Dr. Walter Klippel has never hesitated to share his professional advice, cordiality, and good cheer. He has supported me throughmany odd endeavors, including the great Procyonlotor experiment of '03. -Thanks to him, I still have random binomials like Blarina brevis and Marmota monax taking up valuable space in my cranium. In this work, I especially wish to thank him forhis crucial suggestionsregarding potential bioarchaeologicalcontributions to questions of Cherokee chronology in the Southeast. Dr. Michael Logan has been generous with both his time and attention. I wish to thank him in particular for his assistance with the IRB, and forhis meticulous reviews along every step of the process. This work is stronger forhis contributions, and I am especially thankful forhis editorial abilities and thoughtfulsuggestions which have strengthened the content immensely. Dr. John Neffhas had to apply a critical eye to a topic unrelated to medicine, yet his sagacity, attention to detail, and familial familiarity with this topic has helped me to reinforce and clarifymany of my arguments, and has also convinced me of the validity of iv the themes presented within concerning cultural resource laws and the growing authority of Tribal Historic Preservation Offices. Gratefulacknowledgement is also given to the followingindividuals who have helped me along throughout this project, whether they were aware of it or not: Kevin, Roger, Taylor, Joanne, Derek, Janet and Brandon, Jenny and Dalford, Jennifer S, Lindsey and Alan, Chief and Lefty, Lauren, Judy, MT, the crew at the RFC, Donna, Pam, and Charlene, the facultyand students of the UT Anthropology Department, thesis advisor Alan Hollis, the "M,, dub, Colqhoun, Mr. Wong, Captain Henry Morgan, and Bing Crosby. Lastly, thanks also to my hilarious friendsin Cherokee, North Carolina: Galaheliga hi nigada sgidelvhv ale udatiyv sginelvi! A debt of gratitude is also acknowledged to those members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma who have graciously shared their insight and taught me new ways of thinking about important issues. NB: Certain views and opinions expressed within this work are solely the author's and do not necessarily reflectthe views of my committee members, The Universityof Tennessee's Department of Anthropology, or the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. V ABSTRACT New and amended cultural resource laws are changing the academic and scientific landscape of North American bioarchaeology and archaeology. The passage of the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act in 1990 was an important watershed event in the history of the discipline of biological anthropology, and the increasingly successful utilization of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act by federally recognized sovereign tribes is resulting in unanticipated legal restrictions on the scientific collection of bioarchaeological data fromAmerican Indian skeletal remains and mortuary site settings. The evolving relationship between bioarchaeologists and American Indians is examined in the context of understanding these implemented changes to both the discipline of biological anthropology and the culture of modern American Indians, vis a vis the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. This study provides a historical perspective of this relationship, and challenges bioarchaeologists to adapt their approach to understanding these cultures by using new scientificparadigms drawing upon collaborative efforts with tribal communities. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page One Intersection of Cultures: Anthropologists and Inclians.................................... l Definitions....................................................................................................... 2 Project Rationale .............................................................................................. 6 Two The Beginnings of Anthropology ..................................................................... 11 From Chaos to Order: Classification and Typology ..................................... 12 First Goals: Ordering theNew World............................................................ 17 Abusing Darwin:New Uses for Evolutionary Theory .................................. 21 Evolution of New Disciplines ........................................................................ 22 American Archaeology................................................................................... 23 American Biological Anthropology ............................................................... 2 7 Explaining the American Indian .................................................................. 40 The Lesson of the Moundbuilders ................................................................. 43 Three Legislating Prehistory....................................................................................... 4 7 American Cultural Resource Laws ................................................................. 49 Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda ........................................... 65 Four Repatriation, NAGPRA, and Kennewick Man ............................................... 69 Repatriation .................................................................................................... 70 Salina Indian Burial Pit ................................................................................