Read the excerpt from “Last Rites of the Indian Dead.” The country must recognize that the bodies of dead American Indian people are not artifacts to be bought and sold as collector’s items. It is not appropriate to store tens of thousands of our ancestors for possible future research. They are our family. They deserve to be returned to their sacred burial grounds and given a chance to rest.

Why does Harjo use the word sacred, instead of words like valued or spiritual?

It has a weaker connotation to indicate the burial grounds lose meaning once they have been vandalized by collectors.

Sacred has a stronger connotation and emphasizes the cultural and religious importance of American Indian burial grounds.

Sacred has a more negative connotation to convey American Indians’ fear of death and questions about the afterlife.

It has a more positive connotation and confirms the burial grounds can again be respected once the American Indian remains are returned.