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place well over 100 years ago. It is virtually exempt from remains, estimated at 4,000, was taken mostly from grave and bat- NAGPRA (the Native American Graves Protection and tle sites. What was left over became part of the Smithsonian col- Repatriation Act), for the reason (say they) of there being too lection, estimated at 18,000 individuals, and this by way of the much data to finish analysing to prepare for repatriation. Army Medical Museum. "Concealing evidence that conflicts with accepted theory is "The objects here collected which have not been given, or common scientific skullduggery. For years the Smithsonian acquired by exchange, have been purchased for the use of the Institution has been accused of hiding in storage vaults things museum by order of the surgeon-general... There is a skele- it doesn't like. In 1968 two Neanderthal-like skulls with low ton of a giant, who, in life, measured seven feet, prepared by foreheads and large brows were found in Minnesota. As for Auzoux and mounted by Blanchéne's method, which, if I may dating, University of Minnesota scientists said they were use that term, is really a beauty. It is as white and clean as reluctant to destroy any of the material, although carbon-14 new fallen snow, and the brass joints and screws which keep testing only requires the burning of one gram of bone. They it together are bright, and of the latest style and finish..." were sent to the Smithsonian. Later, Dr Lawrence Angel, "The Army Medical Museum in Washington", by Louis curator of physical anthropology at the institution, said he Bagger, in Appletons' Journal: A Magazine Of General had no record of the skulls there, although he was sure they Literature, vol. 9, issue 206 (1873) were not lost. We have a right = = - 7 Today, however, to wonder 7 = bones are no longer whether some — ——= : as good a source of professional 7 information as they scientists 2 7 : once were thought to mightn't find a : == be, and for several really early date = : good reasons. Bone for the bones et is composed domi- distressing." nantly of the metallic American Indian calcium, yet is made Myths and up of organic mole- Mysteries, cules. Depending on by Vincent H. moisture and temper- Gaddis (1977) ature, it will decay, break down with Why distressing? time and return to the Because no true 7 - : 2 condition of the soil Neanderthal remains after a certain num- have ever been The mound at Marietta, drawn by Henry Howe in 1846. Howe stated this mound ber of centuries. recognised by any was "of a magnitude and height which strike the beholder with astonishment". Bone evidence has Federal authorities Its base had a diameter of 115 feet; its height reached up 30 feet. It was created over-empha- as originating on the surrounded by a ditch four feet deep and 15 feet wide. sis on certain periods North American continent, what to say of the Americas in gener- of prehistory, in this region the so-called "Hopewell" and "Fort al. Is there yet today a conflict between established theory and Ancient" (Mississippian) people. Thus, a great proportion of the what has been physically discovered? Is the "ghost" of Powell yet Archaic and early Adena bones discovered were decomposed haunting the halls of the Museum? beyond preservation. Due to a lack of skeletons, other more So what is the policy of the Smithsonian? Does the institution antique periods have not received the same kind of recognition— intentionally withhold information? Is the fact of a race of giant save from the better scholars affecting the interested public's view warriors and chieftains threatening to the closed, internal doctrine of the ancient world. of American archaeology? That there was a race of men and Ironically, the holocaust of giants, while deadening our sense of women possessing an unusually tall and strong physicality living the past, may well serve as a lesson for the future. oo over an extensive area f North America has become a forgotten fact. Recommended Reading There are other examples, and names like the Gungywamp « Vine Deloria, Jr, Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and Society of Connecticut, Ed Conrad and others have bizarre stories the Myth of Scientific Fact, Fulcrum Publishing, 1997, ISBN to relate about the ineptitude or simple prejudice of the 1-55591388-1 Smithsonian when dealing with their materials. In these exam- ples, there is growing appreciation for an actual cover-up. About the Author: Another grotesque twist is the Army Medical Museum's collec- Ross Hamilton is a writer and investigator of ancient sites, tion. According to the ABC TV News special Skeletons in the _ and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is an initiate philosopher Closet, the United States government acquired a real interest in with a background in general science as well as spiritual sci- Indian corpses. The Surgeon-General, in post-Civil War 1868, ence. He is the author of The Mystery of the Serpent Mound requested that the Army collect the skulls, utensils and weaponry —_ (North Atlantic Books, 2001), and is currently working on of Native Americans "as far as you are able to procure them". —_ several projects including an upcoming book entitled A According to the report, these were to be sent to Washington, DC, —_ Tradition of Giants. Ross may be contacted by email through as part of a program that studied the effects of modern bullets and —_- his website, http://www.Greatserpentmound.org, or directly other weaponry on human bodies. The collection of such at ophi@greatserpentmound.org. remains, estimated at 4,000, was taken mostly from grave and bat- tle sites. What was left over became part of the Smithsonian col- lection, estimated at 18,000 individuals, and this by way of the Army Medical Museum. "The objects here collected which have not been given, or acquired by exchange, have been purchased for the use of the museum by order of the surgeon-general... There is a skele- ton of a giant, who, in life, measured seven feet, prepared by Auzoux and mounted by Blanchéne's method, which, if I may use that term, is really a beauty. It is as white and clean as new fallen snow, and the brass joints and screws which keep it together are bright, and of the latest style and finish..." "The Army Medical Museum in Washington", by Louis Bagger, in Appletons' Journal: A Magazine Of General Literature, vol. 9, issue 206 (1873) Recommended Reading ¢ Vine Deloria, Jr, Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact, Fulcrum Publishing, 1997, ISBN 1-55591388-1 About the Author: Ross Hamilton is a writer and investigator of ancient sites, and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is an initiate philosopher with a background in general science as well as spiritual sci- ence. He is the author of The Mystery of the Serpent Mound (North Atlantic Books, 2001), and is currently working on several projects including an upcoming book entitled A Tradition of Giants. Ross may be contacted by email through his website, http://www.Greatserpentmound.org, or directly at ophi@greatserpentmound.org. JUNE — JULY 2003 NEXUS = 57 www.nexusmagazine.com