Archaeology society votes to ban photos of Indigenous burial offerings

The Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC) announced yesterday it will maintain a new image policy that prohibits its flagship journal from publishing photographs of objects buried with Indigenous ancestors. The decision reflects a vote held on the issue that concluded on 4 December. Many tribes with ties to the U.S. Southeast say seeing such images is a profound spiritual and cultural violation, and that publishing them is exploitative. Critics of SEAC’s new policy say they worry it will infringe on academic freedom and shut down significant areas of research. Thirty of those critics petitioned to hold the societywide vote because they objected to SEAC adopting the image policy without first consulting the membership. Before the online vote, both sides made their cases in a well-attended forum during SEAC’s October annual meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The image policy bans the journal Southeastern Archaeology from publishing photographs of funerary objects, such as burial offerings of ceramic vessels and shell jewelry. Line drawings of such objects are permitted with tribal approval, as are photographs in an online supplemental database. “The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is pleased with the results of the SEAC image policy referendum vote,” says RaeLynn Butler, citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and historic and cultural preservation manager for her tribe. “We value tribal consultation during the peer-review process.” Sh...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research