ABSTRACT
Virtually all human cultures, past and present, have beliefs concerning the treatment of human remains. Attitudes toward death and dying are reflected in the way that a culture disposes of its dead and the way that human remains fit into both the ritual and daily life of its members. For prehistoric cultures, we must rely on the archaeological record for information regarding treatment of the dead. In the process of excavating, recording, and interpreting human remains and their archaeological context, the archaeologist acts according to his or her culture’s own belief system regarding the dead—that, under certain conditions, human physical remains can be used for the benefit of society at large (Ubelaker and Grant 1989). Yet, not every cultural group within the United States agrees with this treatment of remains (Arden 1989). Some feel that human remains should not be the objects of study at all, under any circumstances (Mihesuah 1991). Still others feel that we have learned everything there is to know and that further study of remains is both futile and disrespectful.
