Case study Rwanda 1996. And Kosovo
One of the biggest problems with analysing techniques and methods used by forensic archaeologists, in non-historic mass graves excavation, is the fact that almost all data is hidden under the veil of secret. This raises many ethnical questions and concerns. Despite this makes no sense, it is the reality according to Steele (2008). In her work for Journal of the World Archaeological Congress, she pointed out that due to the importance of these excavations and evidence collected for the criminal trials, everything is kept far away from the eyes of the general population and even scholars. No one is saying that mass graves that date before the Second World War are less important. On the contrary, they have enormous cultural and historic value. While the mass graves, which originated as a consequences of the wars in the last couple of decades have some additional purposes. The discovery and revelation of these mass graves aims to bring the ones that are responsible for their creation to justice, and to identify the victims of the crime in question. (Steele, 2008)
Hanglund et al (2001), advocates that the excavation of mass graves provides us with information and documentation, on both legal forensic investigation and human rights work. For example, mass graves excavation in countries of former Yugoslavia and Rwanda came as a consequence of establishing the United Nations Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, as well as, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In the last decades there has arisen increasing need for the usage of archaeological techniques for forensic investigations. Thanks to the above mentioned tribunals, in 1996. In these countries, over 1,200 bodies were exhumed. The r...
... middle of paper ...
...(Cox and Mays, 2002)
Works Cited
William D. Haglund, Melissa Connor and Douglas D. Scott. (2001). Historical Archaeology
Vol. 35, No. 1, Archaeologists as Forensic Investigators: Defining the Role (2001), pp. 57-69
Published by: Society for Historical Archaeology
Steele (2008). Archaeology and the Forensic Investigation of Recent Mass Graves: Ethical Issues for a New Practice of Archaeology. Archaeologies: Journal of the World Archaeological Congress
David Hodo ( 2012). Research paper: FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGISTS, MASS GRAVES AND THE POSSIBLE INTERFERENCE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW www.academia.edu
Margaret Cox, Simon Mays (2002). Human Osteology: In Archaeology and Forensic Science. Cambridge University Press .
http://forensicoutreach.com/strange-cases-wood-chips-bone-fragments-and-a-clean-machine/
http://forensicosteology.org/about.php?language=en
One of the major task that needs to be taken care of before anything could proceed was to get a consent from the family of the individuals that were missing or had been considered dead. Since in some of the cultures it is considered very disrespectful to dig up the burial ground even if it is to find out the truth about what had happened. When and if the bodies are found the anthropologists try to the best of their ability to be careful and respectful of the remains that they found.
“Skeletons in the Closet”, written by Clara Spotted Elk, is a well-built argument, but it can be enhanced to become immensely effective. Firstly, Elk’s position is effective in obtaining her purpose and connecting her audience to it, because she includes a broad scope and background of the problem in the first few paragraphs. She describes the amount of Indian skeletons preserved and contained by American museums, through the use of data and statistics. For instance, Elk states: “we found that 18,500 Indian remains…are unceremoniously stored in the Smithsonian’s nooks and crannies” (13-15). By using this data, the background of the argument is illustrated to assist the audience in understanding her argument. Now, by knowing this statistic, readers can connect with Elk and her assertion, since we realize that there are plenty of skeletons that
Brothwell,D.R (1986) 'Clues to Murder', in Brothwell,D.R (ed.) The bog man and the archaeology of people . London: British Museum, pp. 22-44.
Forensic anthropologists will use their skills and education in order to discover the different traumas that can occur to bones. The different types of trauma that will be discussed in this paper are projectile, sharp and blunt. Projectile trauma is most associated with firearms and bullets. Knowing what type of projectile caused the injury to the bone can help in locating the type of gun used, which can lead to a suspect. “When faced with a skeleton containing projectile wounds, forensic anthropologists should aim to supply as much information concerning the causative weapon as possible law enforcement officials.” according to Introduction to forensic anthropology (Byers, 2011, p. 248)
In the book “Death's Acre”, By Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson they tell readers how they got to where they are today in their careers and how Dr. Bill Bass became famous for the well known “Body Farm” at the University of Tennessee. In “Deaths Acre” Bass invites people across the world who are reading to go behind the gates of the body farm where he revolutionized forensic anthropology. Bass takes us on a journey on how he went from not knowing if this is what he wanted to do for a living to being in a career that he would never trade. He tells us about the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, explored the headless corpse of a person whose identity shocked many people included the police, divulges how the telltale traces and case
Minthorn, Armand. "Human Remains Should Be Reburied." Kennewick Man Perspectives on the Ancient One (n.d.): 42-43. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the media’s portrayal of forensic anthropology in the TV show ‘Bones’, compared to what it is in real life. It is important to evaluate an episode of ‘Bones’, due to the growing effect of media on society. TV shows romanticizing forensic anthropology can give people who do not have real forensic knowledge, like the jury, unrealistic expectations in real life cases that involve the expertise of forensic anthropologists and cloud their judgments. The method to be used to evaluate the episode is triangulation of sources using lecture notes, textbooks, and peer reviewed journals on forensic anthropology. The portrayal of forensic anthropology in ‘The feet on the beach’ is inaccurate
There has been a lot of controversy regarding human remains and the field of archaeology for some time. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) protect the Native American’s rights over their human remains and cultural items. Proposed by the Morris Udall, former Congress Member for Arizona second District, NAGPRA was passed by the Congress in November 1990. The congress’ intention was to facilitate the repatriation of the Native Americans skeleton and cultural remains that were held in museums and federal agencies. In compliance with the Act, anthropologists returned several skeletal remains that were conserved in their study laboratories and museums to the respective Native tribes. In 1998, for example, the University of Nebraska repatriated over 1702 cultural artifacts to the affiliated Native Americans (Niesel 1). This was a significant blow to the scientific and anthropology studies as it marked the loss of necessary resources in unraveling the development of the human being.
Colson, E. (2006). Case 21: Ethical Dilemmas and Moral Responsibilities. Handbook on Ethical Issues in Anthropology.
“This is my lab and what we do is study bones,” states Kari Bruwelheide in her video entitled “30,000 Skeletons”. Of the three resources that we were provided, “Puzzles of the Chesapeake” by Sally Walker, “Forensic Anthropology” by an unknown author, and “30,000 Skeletons” by Smithsonian Education presented by Kari Bruwelheide, the resource “30,000 Skeletons” is by far the best at explaining the role of an anthropologist. It is unbeatable because it is a video rather than just written words, and Kari Bruwelheide has personal experience in being a forensic anthropologist. A forensic anthropologist is a scientist that studies human remains, or in another word, skeletons, to try to find out information about the past.
In order to understand Forensic Anthropology we must break it down into the components. According to Oxford American Dictionary the term Forensic is significant to the use of scientific methods to investigate a crime. Anthropology is defined by Oxford American Dictionary as the study of societies, cultures, and human origins. The combination of both, Forensic and Anthropology, consists of applying the principles which are introduced by Anthropologists to solving a crime. Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field but is expected to grow in the upcoming years due how it is being portrayed in books, television shows, classes, and many other resources. The usage of this field is becoming crucial because of how gruesome the crimes being committed by criminals are becoming. Although Forensic Anthropology is currently a small field it requires a lot of education, carries plenty of job responsibilities, and continues to aid in the solving of crimes.
Forensic anthropology is the study of bones in relation to a criminal investigation. Some have probably seen it used on television, but this is not an accurate portrayal of what this truly is. Many times, this area of forensic science is hidden from the public eye; people only get to see all of the glamorous parts. What they do not see is all of the hard work and effort that is put in to get the job correctly done. This career is a rare decision for someone to choose, because of the lack of opportunity for employment positions as well as the low income per year; however, it is an extremely fascinating occupation. Forensic anthropology has been known to help many organizations, including museums, and law enforcement agencies.
These leading anthropologists paved the way for Lewis Binford and his absolutely influential paper titled Archaeology as Anthropology in which Binfo...
results of the forensic anthropology. For instance, if a crime is committed at a certain scene,
Through this research I have found that forensics and forensics anthropology work hand in hand. They seem to be closely related in regards (regards is an emotion, you mean regard) to solving criminal cases. A huge interest for me, while conducting this research is the impact the analysis has on cold cases. Cold cases are very important and require an extensive analysis of one’s life whose life? Mine?. Often victims in a cold case do not have strong family bonds, or persons that they are close to. It is imperative within life to have friends and persons, who will say something if you are not seen in a couple of days or weeks. Knowing where a person may be or what a person is involved is important in the case of a missing person. It is a vital part of forensics in relation to forensic anthropology. Within forensics anthropology you can find out more detailed information on the decomposition process. Steadman (2014) The information (what information?) can be used to identify a victim and maybe lead to clues of the perpetrator. New paragraph The study of a victim may also l...