Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Discusses the Burial of Ancient Indian
Remains
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=36356
General Information
Source:
Creator:
NBC Today Show
Jane Pauley
Resource Type:
Copyright:
Event Date:
Air/Publish Date:
09/13/1989
09/13/1989
Copyright Date:
Clip Length
Video News Report
NBCUniversal Media,
LLC.
1989
00:05:05
Description
The remains of ancient American Indians are taken from the Smithsonian Institute and returned to their
tribes and descendants.
Keywords
Skeletons, Smithsonian Institution, Remains, Native Americans, Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell,
Stanford University, Washington D.C., Robert Adams, Tribal Movements, Research, Army Medical Corp
, Grave-robbing, Cemeteries, Archaeology, Artifacts, Burial, Science
Citation
MLA
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 1 of 3
"Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Discusses the Burial of Ancient Indian Remains." Jane Pauley,
correspondent. NBC Today Show. NBCUniversal Media. 13 Sep. 1989. NBC Learn. Web. 1 April 2015
APA
Pauley, J. (Reporter). 1989, September 13. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Discusses the Burial of
Ancient Indian Remains. [Television series episode]. NBC Today Show. Retrieved from
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=36356
CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE
"Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Discusses the Burial of Ancient Indian Remains" NBC Today Show,
New York, NY: NBC Universal, 09/13/1989. Accessed Wed Apr 1 2015 from NBC Learn:
https://highered.nbclearn.com/portal/site/HigherEd/browse/?cuecard=36356
Transcript
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Discusses Reburial of Ancient Indian Remains
JANE PAULEY, anchor:
On Close Up this morning, an ancient right, a modern wrong. For decades, the skeletal remains of
thousands of American Indians have laid in boxes and drawers at the Smithsonian Institution. Soon, many
will be given a more appropriate resting place. Congressmen Ben Nighthorse Campbell wrote the
legislation that will make that possible. He’s in our Washington Newsroom this morning. And good
morning and congratulations, Congressmen.
Senator BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL (D-Colorado): Good morning. Thank you, Jane.
PAULEY: Specifically, we’re talking about 18,000 remains. How can people so long dead, and so many
of them, be identified for return to their proper tribes or descendents?
Sen. CAMPBELL: Well, in fact, some of them may not be able to be identified by tribal origin, but I think
we’ve taken the first step. There are an estimated 600,000 skeletal remains nationwide in universities and
a variety of museums and the Smithsonian’s willingness to look at the issue and to start a process by
which some of those remains can be returned from their collection will certainly set a precedent for the
other museums to follow.
PAULEY: Congressmen, we are looking at the reburial of remains that had been held by Stanford
University, which was among the first to return remains to tribes for burial and we’re seeing them buried
with proper ceremony and so forth. What will happen to those that will go unclaimed? They will never
receive this sort of burial? They will remain in museums and institutions?
Sen. CAMPBELL: That may be true. I couldn’t even begin to estimate the number that could be
identified, probably, perhaps a fourth, perhaps a little more or less. But, in fact, some of those remains
may just stay in the Smithsonian archives.
PAULEY: Also there in Washington, is the Smithsonian Secretary, Robert Adams. He is the man who
made the decision to return the remains to their tribes and descendents – a decision that would shock and
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 2 of 3
horrify previous custodians of the Institution’s treasures. Am I right?
Mr. ROBERT ADAMS (Smithsonian Secretary): No, Jane, I think that’s a statement that reaches too far.
Certainly, it would sadden the scientists working in this field. It will sadden them to lose access to a
portion of the material that they worked on. But I think all of the people working in this area are sensitive
to the deep concern of American Indians, for the return of remains that can include their ancestors and I
think it’s being done in a spirit of understanding, even if it’s also a spirit of regret.
PAULEY: What do we lose for acknowledging the proper sensitivities? Something in the acquisition of
human knowledge and culture will be lost?
Mr. ADAMS: There will be a loss. I think that’s unquestionable. Particularly of the human remains of
more recent individuals, from which much might yet be learned about patterns of illness among Native
Americans, about the tribal movements across the territory of the United States before the arrival of the
Europeans. I think there’s much to be lost, but that’s…
PAULEY: But has there ever been a comparable excavation in anthropological or archaeological interest
in white settlements? Have comparable cemeteries ever been, ever been raided and carted off to
museums?
Mr. ADAMS: Well, I don’t, I wouldn’t go along with the word “raided” with regard to any of the more
recent work and, in fact, people in the Smithsonian are working at this point on a much more recent
settlement of German Americans from Pennsylvania. No, there is nothing like the number of Native
Americans, but still a very substantial number of individuals from white backgrounds, Europeans,
Africans, Asians also in the Smithsonian collections.
PAULEY: Congressmen, perhaps Mr. Adams is right, my choice of words “raided” was inappropriate, but
in previous generations, science was pretty rapacious, if you will, in their pursuit of knowledge. Is that fair
to say?
Sen. CAMPBELL: That’s true. Some of the remains were, in fact, taken by the Army Medical Corps from
dismembered Indians who had been defeated in battle and some were actually taken from just plain old
grave robbing and I think those are the 2 classifications that Indian people now are the most concerned
about. I think there will always be skeletal remains turned up as we have new developments in building
taking place because many of those old burial areas simply weren’t know and I would think that there
would be a continual, you know, a continual process by which these bones come and go and hopefully see
a complete cycle where most of them would go back to the earth.
PAULEY: Alright. Well, gentlemen thank you very much for being with us this morning.
© 2008-2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Page 3 of 3