Sunday, January 13th 2008
Missing Indian Ancestors
On the front page of the Los Angeles Times today was an article about the University’s holding of Native American human remains.
The remains of about 12,000 Native Americans lie in drawers and cabinets in the gym’s basement. Most of them were dug up by university archaeologists and have been stored under the pool since at least the early 1960s.
Now the bones are at the center of a dispute between Native Americans, who want to rebury their ancestors, and university officials, who have been slow to hand over the remains. Some tribal leaders contend that the university is violating a federal law that governs the repatriation of artifacts and remains.
While the article does a great job summarizing the ongoing fight, there is one thing from the rally in October that deserves a mention.
In attendance was Berkeley’s favorite Native American, Zachary Running Wolf. At the demonstration he held a Che Guevara flag, which has far as I know has nothing to do with Native American remains.
When ZRW is not looking for his “MIAs” or Missing Indian Ancestors, he is a among the tree sitters in the oaks near Memorial Stadium.
