ABSTRACT
The archaeological and anthropological community has seen a great deal of change during the past 2 decades in its concerns for the people it studies; the late 1960s saw an increasing American Indian militance which openly challenged anthropology's approach toward studying all aspects of Indian culture, including the treatment of human skeletal remains discovered by archaeologists. The late 1970s and early 1980s generally saw Indians avoiding militant confrontations in favor of face-to-face discussions with archaeologists. While archaeologists have modified their position that skeletal collections must be maintained for study, Indians feel that change is too slow or not happening at all. The issues are extremely complex, and Indians have leveled charges of racism, violation of ethics codes, and exploitation. Archaeologists have countered with charges that Indians are just seeking publicity and disrupting the free conduct of science, and that Indian concerns are political, not spiritual.
