Week 5 Reading #3

The African Burial Ground in Manhattan marks the burial sites of 15,000 African ancestors over nearly 300 years.
The burial ground remained unrecognized until the construction of a Federal building at 290 Broadway in the early 1990s uncovered the remains.
Initial public reactions reflected misconceptions about the treatment and status of enslaved Africans in New York, who were largely ignored due to national myths of freedom in the North.
There was a strong public desire from African-Americans to understand the identities of the deceased and to ensure human dignity in death.
The burial site is legally protected under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which, although vague, encouraged public input for preservation.

The General Services Administration (GSA), tasked with building a new office tower, faced challenges as activists lobbied and protested against construction and excavation of the burial site.
Public meetings held by GSA were criticized for lacking substance and for insufficiently addressing community concerns about the burial site.
Activism continued, leading to a Federal Advisory Committee's establishment to evaluate archaeological practices, review proposals, and suggest memorialization for the site after successful community lobbying.

In 1993, the GSA agreed to send the 419 human remains to Howard University for research, intended to be conducted without the European-centric biases often found in historical scholarship.
A significant public commemoration, the Rites of Ancestral Return, occurred ten years later, leading to the reinterment of the remains.
The site became a US National Monument in 2006 and will feature a Visitor Center and educational space opening in 2010, planned to have permanent exhibitions about the burial ground.

In 1992, Howard University's research team began participating in the project, acknowledging the rights of African-Americans to control the disposition of their ancestral remains, differing from the typical practices in archaeology and anthropology.
The approach taken included extensive community consultation and allowed for community input at all stages of the research, departing from traditional “top-down” archaeology.
This commitment to community engagement resulted in identifying the African-American community as the ethical client, distinct from the GSA as a business client, ensuring that their interests were prioritized.

The research aimed to investigate the 419 human skeletal remains, revealing a wealth of knowledge about the experiences of African slaves in New York.
Over 200 researchers and 12 years and $6 million were involved in extensive studies leading to online reports published between 2004 and 2006.
The origins of enslaved Africans in New York were primarily from West and West Central Africa, with some representation from Madagascar.
Research indicated that 40 percent of New Amsterdam’s population were enslaved Africans during its establishment in 1626.

Skeletal analyses indicated that children’s remains showed high lead levels, suggesting they were born in New York, while adult remains showed lower lead levels, indicating they were likely born in Africa.
Evidence of childhood mortality was alarming, with one-third of children buried dying within their first two years of life, signifying the harsh conditions of slavery.
Notably, treponemal diseases were documented, but advanced syphilis was absent from remains, indicating limited exposure to European diseases during the early periods of slavery.
The research revealed insights on demographics, concluding that fertility rates among enslaved Africans were critically low, resulting in a reliance on continuous importation of enslaved individuals.

By the eighteenth century, New York served as a key trade hub dependent on enslaved labor for its economy, where Wall Street became synonymous with the slave trade.
The historical context shows that up to 20 percent of the population in New York City were Africans by the end of the American Revolutionary War, significantly contributing to the city’s development while inherently subjected to severe human rights violations.
Enslaved Africans actively participated in the war, fighting for their own freedom, with varying outcomes including migration to Nova Scotia or eventual emancipation in the US.

The African Burial Ground serves not only as a historical site but as a representation of the struggle for recognition and dignity of African-Americans.
The relationship of scholars and descendant communities is crucial in ensuring ethical research and recognition of group rights and heritage issues.
The project sets an important example of how public participation can democratize knowledge production, framing a paradigm for cooperation beyond just this specific community.

Comprehensive citations and references are provided, including works by Blakey, Goodman, and others that underscore the significance of bioarchaeological research in this context.

Ethical considerations prioritize the agency of historically marginalized groups in shaping narratives surrounding their heritage.
Recognizing group rights within diverse communities pushes for inclusivity in the representation of history and ongoing conversations in contemporary societies.

The dynamics of power between institutions and communities must be navigated carefully to ensure that the voices of historically marginalized groups are amplified, rather than overshadowed by dominant narratives.