Graves Protection and Repatriation
Most of the items in this collection are related to the mass desecration and looting of Shawnee Indian graves in Uniontown, Kentucky. An estimated 1200 graves were disturbed in this incident, prompting legislation that changed the desecration offense from a misdemeanor to a felony. John Thomas, as a member of the International Indian Treaty Council, worked to raise funds for reburial efforts and conducted purification ceremonies for the Ancestors Days reburial event held in May, 1988.
Special thanks to Ursinus College students Katherine Slater, Class of 2026, and Seamus Clune, Class of 2027, for their assistance with organization, research, digitization and description of these items.
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Resolution of the Navajo Tribal Council: Administration and Maintenance of Cemeteries and Burial in Navajo Cemeteries, February 12, 1958
Paul Jones
This three-page typed document is a resolution of the Navajo Tribal Council on Administration and Maintenance of Cemeteries and Burial in Navajo Cemeteries approved on February 12, 1958. It addresses issues such as overcrowding and who is allowed to be buried within Navajo cemeteries. An advisory committee was created to designate sites for cemeteries and provide for their beautification and safeguarding.
