The greatest harvest of native American cultural relics

At dawn on June 10, 2009, nearly 100 federal agents wore bulletproof vests and held weapons, and built as many as eight houses in Bulandra, Utah. One of them recalled that a huge cloud covered the area, blocking the rising sun in Ran Ran and casting an ominous shadow on four corners of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. In a house on the top of the mountain, a dozen detectives knocked at the door and arrested the owner, a respected doctor and his wife. In the morning, similar scenes were staged in four corners, and the police detained 2 1 men and women. Later that day, ken salazar and David W. Ogden, the current interior ministers and US Deputy Secretaries of Justice, announced the arrest as part of "the largest archaeological and cultural relic theft investigation in China". Agents call this the story of the "action of the keeper dog of hades" that robbed the ancients after three helldogs in Greek mythology.

The acquisition raid is the result of more than two and a half years of institutional efforts. The agent recruited a secret informant and gave him more than 330 thousand dollars to buy illegal cultural relics. He installed a miniature camera on the button of his shirt and recorded the video of 100 hours. On the videotape, sellers and collectors discuss the price and source of their goods at will. The informant also accompanied the digger to remote canyon locations, at least one of which was equipped with motion detection cameras by agents.

The harvest of this raid is amazing. In a suspect's home, a team of 50 detectives and archaeologists spent two days cataloguing more than 5,000 cultural relics, loading them into museum-quality storage boxes and loading them into five U-shaped freight trucks. In another house, investigators found about 4000 pieces. They also found a showroom behind a hidden door, which was controlled by a stunt pole. They always confiscate about 40,000 items. These items are so big that they fill a 2,300-square-foot warehouse in the suburbs of Salt Lake City and flow into a part of the nearby Utah Museum of Natural History. In some places in the four corners, Cerberus action has become one of the most polarized events in memory. The legal restrictions on the removal of cultural relics from public and tribal (but not private) lands can be traced back to the Antiquities Law of 1906, but in some areas of this area, the tradition of free excavation began with the arrival of white settlers in19th century. Among the 28 modern Native American communities in these four corners, this raid seems to be a long-overdue attempt to combat the irony of their land and culture-"How would you feel if an Native American dug up your grandmother, took her jewelry and clothes and sold them to the highest bidder?" Marc Mitscher, the former governor of Tesuke Pueblo, asked me. However, some white residents believe that this raid is an example of the federal ultra vires. When two suspects, including the doctor arrested in Brand, committed suicide shortly after their arrest, their feelings were intensified. The prosecution's case was not helped because its secret informant committed suicide before anyone appeared in court.

Finally, in Utah, New Mexico and Colorado, 32 people were pulled in. None of them are native Americans, although a businessman tried to pretend to be * * *. Twenty-four people were accused of violating the Federal Archaeological Resources Protection Act and the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act. Two cases were dismissed because of suicide, and three cases were dismissed. No one has been to prison. The rest reached a plea agreement, as part of these transactions, agreeing to confiscate the cultural relics confiscated in the raid.

Now you can subscribe to Smithsonian magazine for only 12 dollars.

This story is selected from Smithsonian magazine, 165438+ 10, BLM, WHO.

A colorful ceramic bowl tells a more bittersweet story. The exterior is the burning color of desert sunset, and the interior is characterized by bold geometric shapes and black and red lines; This is obviously what archaeologists call the salado style, which appeared around 1 100 A.D., and blended the elements of Anasazi, Mogolong and Huohokan pottery. This work was slightly damaged by some cracks, but what is more destructive is the evidence of "acid splashing" in the bowl, which shows that people have used contemporary soap to remove dirt for hundreds of years. BLM curator Nancy? According to Nancy mahaney, the idea is that repairing or "cleaning" ships will make more money on the black market. "This is a very interesting collection, because you can see to what extent people will get financial income."

After the inventory is completed, the Bureau of Land Management will give priority to returning any items that can be taken away from the tribe. Although the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act has very specific guidelines for the repatriation of cultural relics, several experts from Native American communities said that the repatriation process would become complicated due to the lack of documents.

Once the repatriation of the Bureau of Land Management is completed, it will take several years, and the Bureau will have to find homes for the cultural relics left behind. It hopes to establish a partnership with the museum, which can not only display cultural relics, but also provide research opportunities for scholars. Mahaney said: "We hope to establish partnerships with native American communities, especially those with museums." . Navajo people have a large museum, while Zuni, Hopi people and others have cultural centers. Brand, Utah, where several convicted robbers live, has the edge of Cedar State Park Museum. Even so, it will take years of research before the Cerberus series begins to reveal its secrets.