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Osteobiographies: The Discovery, Interpretation and Repatriation of
Human Remains contextualizes repatriation, or the transfer of
authority for human skeletal remains from the perspective of
bioarchaelogists and evolutionary biologists. It approaches
repatriation from a global perspective, touching upon the most
well-known Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
(NAGPRA) legislation of the United States, while also covering
Canada and African countries. The book focuses on the stories
behind human skeletons, analyzing their biological factors to
determine evolution patterns. Sections present an overview of
anatomy, genomics, and stable isotopes from dietary and
environmental factors, and how to identify these in skeletal
remains. The book then goes on to discuss European-origin, North
American, and African paleopathology, ancient DNA links, and
cultural issues and implications around repatriation. It concludes
with case studies to show how information from archaeologically
derived skeletons is vital to understanding human evolution and
provide respectful histories behind the remains.
In 1987, skeletal remains were encountered during excavation just
west of Old Fort Erie, in Ontario's Niagara Peninsula. While
possession of the land had been bitterly contested in 1814, it
remained virtually undeveloped and only in the 1980s, with the
construction of permanent homes, did excavations yield evidence of
the distant past. An international team of scholars and scientists
investigated the remains and identified the individuals'
nationalities for repatriation, where appropriate. The resulting
archaeological dig has proven crucial to our understanding of the
siege of Fort Erie, and provided new information about military
clothing, personal gear, medical science, and other details of the
day-to-day life of a soldier living under battlefield conditions
during the War of 1812. Snake Hill provides a detailed account of
this investigation, documenting an important story of suffering and
carnage, and providing the reader with a rare glimpse at life and
death during the War of 1812. This book contributes significantly
to our understanding of events before, during and after Fort Erie's
1814 siege.
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