The sanctity of the grave: White concepts and American Indian burials

For the past four years I have been conducting research on mortuary customs, death rituals, forms of memorialization, and beliefs about death in Binghamton, New York. As an archaeologist, my focus on these studies has been on the material aspects of death in upstate New York, particularly gravestones and cemeteries. During the same time period, I have also been involved in a more traditional archaeological, mortuary study-the analysis of grave lots associated with over 250 Hohokam cremations from the site of La Ciudad in Phoenix, Arizona. This second pursuit has directly embroiled me in the controversies surrounding the disturbance, the disposition, and the interpretation of Indian burials.