Practicality in the Enforcement of Human Remains Trafficking in Louisiana

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Louisiana Department of Justice (LDOJ) has routinely monitored online sites for trafficking of human remains and antiquities since 2007. Since that time, new state laws have been enacted to strengthen the ability to confiscate illicit materials from private sellers and, when appropriate, to transfer those materials to descendent communities. During this time, LDOJ employees have been involved in over 100 cases regarding the wayward disposition of human remains and antiquities, not all of which are nefarious. Often consultation and providing a repository for items in transit provides all the protection these items need, ultimately keeping them safeguarded from further commodification. Given the unique legal position of LDOJ, its anthropologists are able to work directly with law enforcement around the state to investigate and enforce aspects of this trade. This enforcement provides scenarios where anthropological theory meets meaningful and practical realities. Here we present three case studies that highlight a variety of recovery scenarios, the approaches and resources required for action, and why resolution has or has not occurred. Through these studies, we are able to examine new trends in enforcement and the functionality of new and existing laws and discuss the practicality of establishing similar methods in other jurisdictions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37911.0