Remarks in the “Bones of Contention” Documentary - Jan. 23, 1995

The following is from a transcription of the 1995 BBC documentary “Bones of Contention” about the archaeology of Indigenous peoples that featured Pearson’s work. Full transcription

Maria Pearson: This is where it all began, back in 1971. My husband, John Pearson, was construction engineer in charge of rebuilding Highway 34, and it was when they found a cemetery. It was part of a village at the turn of the century. My husband came in from work and he says, 'Honey, you're going to be really upset when I tell you what happened at work today,' and he told me that they had taken 26 white people out of the graves. And I said, 'Who did that?", and he said, 'The state archaeologist.' He said, 'That's his job, and we called him in to do this. He took them in new caskets to the local cemetery for reburial.' But he said they took the Indian girl and her baby and put their remains in a box and took her to Iowa City for study. And I said, 'That's discrimination. If they were all buried at the same time then they should have studied the 26 white people, too. When I went out to pray that night I heard a tingling sound that came through almost like crystal, and I heard my grandma saying, 'I told you, girl, you would have to stand up for what you believe in.’ And she said, 'You must protect where your ancestors lie.’

Narrator: The following morning Maria made the journey to the state Capitol to see the governor of Iowa.

Pearson: If I was going to go for advice to anybody I would have went to my chief, and he is supposed to be the chief in charge of everybody in Iowa, so I went to see him. I walked right into the Capitol building and right up to the Governor's office. I happened to look up, and the governor was peeking at me around the corner of the door, and I thought: well, he can't be too bad. When I entered the room the governor was standing in front of his desk, and he said, 'Well, Running Moccasins, have a seat.' And I said, 'No thank you, I can stand for what I have to say to you.' He said, 'Well then, how can I help you?' I said, 'You can give me back my people's bones and you can quit digging them up.’

[documentary continues with other interviews, then returns to Pearson]

Narrator: Today almost everything possible is done to avoid digging up Indian remains no matter what the cost. In Iowa, the transport department has just completed the biggest archaeological survey in its history. In the course of expanding Highway 61, they uncovered a Native American village that had once been home to nearly 500 people.

Dale Henning (consultant archeologist): When we located the cemetery area we skimmed it off, and we uncovered the upper edge of 56 burial pits, none of which were excavated. The highway itself is going to go to my right and it will pass directly over the village site.

Narrator: The excavation has taken three years and more than $1.25 million to complete. Every step has been made in consultation with the governor's personal adviser on Indian affairs, Maria Pearson - the woman whose actions began the transformation of American archaeology back in the seventies.

Pearson (at the site): Do you have any more burials than the ones that were reported?

Henning: No, we haven't uncovered any more at all.

Pearson: That's good.

Narrator: In line with Indian wishes, all the burial sites have been left untouched and the route changed to avoid the cemetery altogether. The graves should have been safe. But while Horizon was filming, Maria found one grave that had been vandalised.

Pearson: This is the very story that you came to find out about - this is the desecration of one of our graves. This type of thing hurts. It's like ripping your own heart out, and you stand and you have to watch, and you have to justify the generations... that we are told to teach our children the respect of the graves. I look at this, I'm appalled - I'm not appalled but I'm devastated by the fact they could treat my ancestors like this. And then what does that mean? That we are less than human, that we have no feelings?

Courtesy of Ames History Museum