Bring Out Your Dead

What Is Exhumation?

Exhumation is the process of digging up a body – post burial. Exhumations are most commonly utilized for the purpose of moving a corpse to a new location for the sake of a family situation. In cases like this, it may comfort a family who may be moving to have their loved one “move with them.” It can be comforting to know that a loved one is near-by, deceased or otherwise.


In Shadrack Smith’s situation, an exhumation may settle a religious dispute. Shadrack Smith was a gypsy man who passed away at age 89 in a Romany gypsy community, and then was buried in a multi-faith cemetery. Normally, this wouldn't cause any trouble, the plot directly next to Smith’s belongs to a Muslim man. The Muslim man’s family has complained about their relative being buried next to “a non-believer”. Exhumation may be a solution for this case, as Smith’s family could move his body, and settle this dispute.





(Pictured above: Shadrack Smith's grave next to his Muslim neighbor's grave)



Exhumation can also be used for forensic purposes, often times, someone who has died may have passed away in some unexplained way, for example, they may have been murdered. Sometimes a body can be exhumed and forensic tests can be performed in order to find a cause of death and possibly put a criminal to justice. Exhumations can also be the source of entertainment, often the bodies of famous people will be put on display.

It has been said that the study of forensics is one of two disciplines that destroys what is being studied. The other discipline where this is the case is archaeology. In the process of archeological excavation, the context in which an item of interest is located is destroyed. In these cases, it is impossible to restore that context. This is especially relevant in the context of exhumations.

On the one hand, exhumed remains may offer valuable insights into areas like the diet and lifestyle of a group of people, or even insights into how to treat medical conditions arising in groups descended from that people. On the other hand, descendant populations often have very strong objections to the exhumation of their ancestors. Many consider research performed with these remains to be disrespectful of cultural traditions and religious beliefs.

This has long been the case in the United States, where native peoples have historically been at odds with universities and other institutions over exhumed remains. Scientists contended that the large collections of exhumed remains owned by these institutions provided a valuable resource to be studied. Descendant populations, however, objected to what they viewed as a desecration of their ancestors. Legal battles eventually led to the creation of NAGPRA, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

NAGPRA requires all agencies and institutions that receive federal funds to repatriate anything deemed a “cultural item” to lineal descendants of the original group to which the item belonged. “Cultural items”, in this context, include funerary objects, sacred objects, and other cultural goods. Especially relevant, however, is the inclusion of exhumed human remains in the definition of a “cultural item”. The Act also laid the groundwork to establish policy regarding the accidental uncovering of human remains. The Act also criminalized the trafficking in Native American remains. NAGPRA has changed the way exhumed remains are studied in the United States and has helped somewhat to bridge the gap in point-of-view on the different sides of the ethical debate over exhumations. The treatment of the dead is a very delicate subject, however, so exhumations will always provoke some form of debate.

References 

 MailOnline, Steph Cockroft for. "Gypsy Man 'could Be EXHUMED'" Mail Online. Associated 

               Newspapers, 11 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

"The Development of NAGPRA." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

United States. National Park Service. "NPS Archeology Program: The Native American Graves                   

   Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA)." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of 

   the  Interior, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.