Spokane Tribe Rejects Eastern Washington University

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Indian_Archaeology.html

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Fiercely criticized by the Spokane Indian Tribe, Eastern Washington University will no longer do archaeological work that is required on local construction projects, the City Council has decided...

The issue here is trust, and how that has been affected by the divergent world views of the Spokane Indian Tribe and the Archaeologists from Eastern Washington University. The Spokane view the site as sacred--their ancestors rest there as part of the earth, which they also regard as sacred. The archaeologists, perhaps confident that a contract was imminent and that their research would go forward, began publishing information indicative of the site's location--making the site vulnerable to potential looters. More importantly, the Tribe viewed this as lack of respect and concern for the inherent sacredness of the site.

A.F. Castronuevo