Abstract

Unmarked burials (prehistoric burials that lack headstones) present a complicated issue; unlike cemeteries and marked memorials, they are difficult to protect and extremely at risk of accidental damage or purposeful looting and desecration. They also represent questions of tribal sovereignty for many indigenous people. With this in mind, all but four states have signed protective laws specifically for these sites. But difficulty enforcing these laws allows for slip ups. Mapping unmarked burials and potential burial locations would allow for better protection of these culturally important sites by alerting construction companies of where to act most carefully and by giving cultural authorities a physical and legal tool to more easily look after the sites. This project acts as a case study as to what this process - and final result - entails.