Funerary archaeology (orburial archaeology) is a branch ofarchaeology that studies the treatment and commemoration of the dead. It includes thestudy of human remains, their burialcontexts, and from singlegrave goods through to monumentallandscapes. Funerary archaeology might be considered a sub-set of the study of religion and belief.[1] A wide range of expert areas contribute to funerary archaeology, includingepigraphy,material culture studies,thanatology,human osteology,zooarchaeology andstable isotope analysis.[2][3]
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Funerary archaeology within the United States is also connected with the legal system after the implication of theNative American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) established in 1990. The act set requirements that any facility, museum, or repository receiving federal funds must declare and return any human remains or funerary artifacts to a federally recognized tribe if cultural affiliation can be declared between the tribe and the artifacts in the facilities possession.[4] In order to determine if a tribe or descendant has cultural affiliation there are nine avenues to examine: geographical, kinship, biological, archaeological, anthropological, linguistic, folklore, oral tradition, and historial. If affiliation can be determined and the tribe is federally recognized, the remains or funerary artifacts can berepatriated.[5]
Involving Indigenous communities in the repatriation process and recognizing their knowledge and expertise in understanding their own cultural heritage is essential. Archaeologists and Indigenous people can get a more thorough knowledge of the remains and foster cultural understanding and appreciation by working together in a respectful and collaborative manner.Cal-NAGPRA is a policy that can achieve this. For example, Hopi tribe has provided important contextual information about the use of natural resources and the significance of particular sites, which has helped archaeologists to interpret the data more accurately.[6]
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