Who owns what?

[Toxic_Waste]

Sometimes I hear about Indian people saying that arrowheads or other such artifacts actually belong to them because their ancestors had that stuff, but using that same logic, then why can't I just walk into an antique store and lay claim to things saying, "Hey, my great-grandmother used a butter churn just like that, so I am going to claim it as my heritage."

Certain tribes may have been the most likely people to have made or used artifacts found in certain areas, but how does somebody know for sure that their direct ancestor ever even saw it? And maybe some of the objects were lost by traveling tribes or taken during raids or lost during battles. Some would say, "Well, the tribe becomes the owner -- nobody has to prove their great-great-great grandfather made that arrowhead (or whatever)." I say "finders keepers." That's probably how most people claimed ownership of things in those days anyway.

[lucasi 310]

I am Part Native American so everyone who finds any artifacts such as arrowheads, cutting stones, or any other tool. it belongs to me because of my ancestors. please send anything you find to my address . im with you Toxic, if everyone went around claiming stuff based on there ancestors tools or belongings . you would be able to walk into someones house and start loading up your car .. besides Native Americans always claim the land because they were here before english settlers .. well news to the indians .. YOU WERE NOT HERE FIRST . there have been recent findings of Caucasian And African humans well before Native Americans inhabited the Americas . what im trying to say is nothing is really yours .. cause once you die . i will be in the hands of someone else . its a fact of life .

~James

[rip]

I think that when native americans lay claim to such things .there main concern is artifacts that have been removed from grave sites etc.not artifacts like say an arrowhead found in a plowed field.They should have the right to artifacts that came from grave sites as this would be the same as if a native american were to dig up one of our graveyards.But i personaly would like someone to dig me up in say a thousand years,because i plan on takeing it ALL with me when i die ! Definatly want my detector and fishing pole !

[Toxic_Waste]

lucasi, thanks for the reply. You are one of the very few people to be aware of the pre-Indian history. There are also many scholars who believe that Native Americans migrated from Asia. A lot of the Eskimo and other Alaskan-area tribal people still retain quite a bit of Asian facial features.

np, does this mean I have to quit my night job as a tomb raider/grave robber?