Say what you will about Twitter, but somehow it makes companies care. Etsy didn’t respond when I published this in N*wsweek, nor did they care or probably even know about Tumblr, but now they are talking about it because of a tweet! IDK if this can go anywhere but here’s the Twitter thread if you’re interested.

I have a lot of thoughts about this so bear with me while I try to articulate (heheheh) all of them

1) Historical issues. First thing’s first, let’s talk about this cemetery. They’re right in saying that this is a unique cemetery, as this one is full of below-ground burials, and most of Louisiana have above-ground tombs. This means, that yes, this is a “poor man’s graveyard.” Now, I wonder, who are those poor men? In Louisiana, in 1879?? That’s right, this cemetery is full of black people, including Jessie Hill, Buddy Bolton, and, briefly, Robert Charles, to name a few.

Grave robbers have always been a concern to people who bury their loved ones, and, if you’re poor, all you can really do is hope.

So it makes me so angry that  this person is saying this is a “literal witch hunt” trying to make it seem like law enforcement is being prejudiced against witches, while at the same time taking advantage of the historical poverty of black people. None of these are “leftover remains,” this is an important, historical site that should be treated with respect and care. Even the professionals (archeologists/anthropologists) take huge care to not damage the remains or the cultural context in which they were found.

In fact, when a historical/ancient burial is found, ESPECIALLY if it is Native Indian, the goal is to get it reburied as fast as possible. (If you want to know more about this, I suggest reading up on the Kennewick Man)

2) Modern bone market.  I love bones as much as the next lady, but I refuse to own real human remains, even if they come from “reliable sources,” (meaning they aren’t looted). Why? What do you think drives someone to be willing to sell their loved one’s remains? Again, this comes back to the idea of major global poverty. I’m trying to find my info about it now, so if you’re super interested about it stay tuned and I’ll find some stuff I have about the modern bone market. 

3) Implications of new law for other people. Louisiana, as most know, has a huge population of voodoo practitioners, as well as traditional African beliefs brought over during the slave trade (Afro-diasporic Cultures). This is important because a lot of these religions practice ancestor worship. Do you know what’s important in ancestor worship? The remains. By disrespecting this cemetery and those it contains, this person has made it so much more difficult for an already marginalized group to practice their beliefs in peace. 

So, I’m super mad.

IF YOU SEE BONES:
1) Call the police. Use the non-emergency line (the person is already dead, they won’t get deadder by waiting), and let them know, like, “hey, I’m walking by the cemetery and there’s some bones. They probably got washed up by the rain, but maybe come out just to be sure,” (a surprising amount of criminals bury their victims in cemeteries). The police will be there, along with a state archeologist or anthropologist to take care of the remains. Congrats, you’ve either helped to solve a crime, or prevent one.

2) On that note, if you come across bits of pottery or arrowheads, it is actually illegal to take them and double-illegal to sell them. Leave them where they are, and call your state historical preservation office.

“But I really want bones!”

Animal bones are a great place to start! These are pretty dang easy to scavenge for! But, please, for the love of Gd, don’t use bleach on them. Please. You’ll ruin them that way.

Still want real human bones? Tough luck.

I will always highly recommend Bone Clones for human AND animal bone replicas. They do a fantastic job and I need to get me a trephinated skull soon.

But, back to the point: There was exactly no need for this. They were acting from a place of privilege and selfishness, and just made life a lot more difficult for a lot of people who are actually doing nothing wrong. the bones aren’t yours?? They’re meant to be in a grave?? Leave them there.

Good insight, but let me add a little more. 

1. If you want to know more about the sources of human remains, check out this Wired article Inside India’s Underground Trade in Human Remains. It is also a chapter in Scott Carney’s book, The Red Market (one of my new favorite books, seriously.)

2. But if you have more questions about modern trade in human remains, and how people are getting them, and why they want them, I recommend this National Geographic Article Human Skulls Are Being Sold Online, But is it Legal? (written by Yours Truly, so you know it’s good!)

3. I can’t say I’d recommend calling the cops every time you find bones….I guess try to determine through provenance if they’re human or not…was there recently a graveyard flood? Or are you on a game reserve? My friend found a spine in the forest and thought about calling the cops, but it was a deer.

4. One thing that I want to say about the new law. The Lousiana Bill was written long before Ender Darling. When I asked one of the authors of the bill, Ryan Seidemann, if Darling was an inspiration for it, he said no. When I asked if witchcraft was mentioned in the proceedings, or used as a justification for the bill, he said he couldn’t remember. The bill came out about the same time that Seidemann and Halling, who work in the state of Lousiana, published a study on the eBay trade in human remains. Did Darling’s case push the bill forward faster? I don’t know. But it was already in the works and I think it was inevitable.

This is all old news, but in case you’re curious what really happened with the “bone witch” or whatever.

Also I want to reiterate not to call the police every time you find a bone. Holy shit I would have called thousands of times by now. Call if you actually have a reason to think they’re more likely to be human than deer/cow/whatever lives near you.

Update, they did not find it, and they also lost an expensive Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.  

“Like Shackleton before us, who described the graveyard of Endurance as ‘the worst portion of the worst sea in the world’, our well laid plans were overcome by the rapidly moving ice, and what Shackleton called ‘the evil conditions of The Weddell Sea’.” –Mensun Bound, Director of Exploration on the expedition.