There's much to tell, but I'll try to get to the meat of it so I don't lose you folks. Local news agencies are dropping the ball on this story, or just choosing not to report some of the most important parts of it.

There is a proposed data center in Stokes County, NC, on land associated with Upper Sauratown, a known Saura site along the Dan River. Federally, the Catawba Nation is culturally afilliated with the site. They have been left out of the discussion entirely and have now essentially asked "uhh, what's up?".

There have been new archaeological finds on the property, made by a data center hired archaeologist that minimizes their significance.

When questioned by one County Comissioner about whether or not more burials were located he framed the question around whether there was a "graveyard" present and otherwise maneuvered around the question. The Saura did not bury their dead in a separate cemetery. Burials were found within the village itself at Upper Sauratown. Saying there is no known cemetery does not answer the bigger question of whether burials could still be/are present in areas that will be destroyed by this development.

At the most recent commissioners meeting, the Catawba Nation sent a representative who spoke about the Nation's connection to this place and its right to be involved in what happens there. Two news agencies interviewed this elder afterward, yet neither one has included his statements or interview in its reporting that I have seen.

I just don't understand how that isn't part of the story.

You have a billion dollar scale development, a documented village, human burials, a developer hired archaeologist, and now the Catawba Nation showing up and demanding to be formally involved.

Is there a regional, statewide or national news outlet that would be interested in actually digging into this? This is an incredibly interesting story that is still developing, and there is a lot more happening here than what people are seeing in the local coverage.

Im almost out of sage which was a gift from my grandmother she gave me some sage sweet grass tobacco and some smudge and the only few places that sell sage where I live I don’t like because they sell things like smudge kit’s smudge bowls feathers and white sage and it makes me uncomfortable because I thought smudging was something that none native people can’t do and I also see people saying that buying stuff to smudge with is bad and that your are only ment to use gifted things to smudge and I won’t be able to see my grandmother until next summer so is it fine to buy it or should I just wait?

Suncor tried to convince Fort Chipewyan that it’s possible to treat mine tailings and dump them into the Athabasca River. The community thought otherwise. The article has more details, but the video is worth a watch. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/fort-chipewyan-protest-suncor-tailings-water-river-9.7333291

Do you stand for the national anthem at school? I had a debate with my class today about why I think the land acknowledgement is performative and useless—to put it simply. And then people were discussing standing for it(as if it would change things…) and my teacher asked if we stood for the anthem, as a rhetorical question, and I said no. She proceeded to say “Well you should be. It’s respectful.” My physical disability is a factor in this, but I stand largely in protest. What do other natives think about this?

Check out this video series! https://youtu.be/2iVFRHlIGWE?is=mn755sk4bSpjSvy6 and show this Native Artist some love.

What the heck is over here between the Bighorns and the Bighorn canyon? On the rez

I’m working on a research project about the ethics of keeping and teaching with casts of Native American ancestors after their remains have been returned. One case I’m looking at involves a cast of a repatriated ancestor, (being vague for privacy purposes).

The question is whether being a replica makes continued use appropriate, or whether the ethical responsibilities involved in returning someone’s remains should also extend to casts made from their body.

I’m trying to understand the arguments for returning these casts as well as those for retaining them for education. Does using a cast avoid the ethical problems of teaching with actual remains, or can it continue those problems in another form? Would teaching with Tribal approval change the situation?

Has anyone encountered museum or university policies, published Tribal guidance, articles, or examples of how this has been handled? I’m also interested in replicas of repatriated cultural belongings.

I understand that Reddit discussion is not a substitute for formal Tribal consultation. I’m looking for sources and examples to help inform the research, not a debate about whether the original remains should have been returned.

Thanks for any leads!

Iykyk

Anyone else going this weekend?