Read Online LC 02 - Questionable Remains by Beverly Connor - Free Book Online Page B

lifted their hair around their faces.
Lindsay smoothed hers down with both hands as she spoke
first. "We have a policy of quickly repatriating aboriginal
remains after we examine them," she said.

    "It would be easier if you didn't dig them up in the first
place," said George West.
    "Then we would learn nothing from them. They tell us so
much."
    John West stood up. "Why are we here? This is the same
old talk. You're just using us for your pet theories. You care
nothing about our people." His father motioned for him to
sit down. He did, but grudgingly.
    "What have you learned?" asked Emily.
    "We have hardly had time to examine . . ." began Gerri,
but Lindsay's voice rose over hers and she stopped.
    "We have learned that something terrible happened to
these people. Conquistadores came on horses, looking for
gold and silver. They came to this village and understood
immediately that it was important because at one end was a
large flat-topped mound with a long series of steps leading
up to a large house of clay-covered timber. The conquistadores had heard that the towns with mounds had wealth.
This was a peaceful village, for it lacked a palisade around
the clusters of thatched houses that circled the great plaza.
No palisade meant they were friendly, and the conquistadores knew that.
    "They rode in, looking for wealth similar to that of the
Incas, whom they had robbed and utterly destroyed. When
they did not find the riches they sought, they became angry
and lashed out at the villagers. There was a woman.
Perhaps she simply stood watching them, perhaps she was
a hostage. She saw the sword that was coming down on her
and instinctively held her arms over her face to shield it.
The sword cut into her all the way to the bone. The woman
had a child with her. She leaned over, protecting the child
with her body, and the conquistador struck her so hard with
his sword it cut into her shoulder and backbone, knocking
her to the ground. She and her child were killed. Other
women tried to flee and had their legs cut out from under
them as they ran, holding their children. The men tried to protect them, but they were no match for the conquistadores on their battle-trained horses. This slaughter may
have taken place somewhere else and the victims brought
back for burial. The bones will tell.

    "Conquistadores usually burned the villages they massacred, but so far there have been no signs that this village
was burned. Once, this was a prosperous village. It was
struck by disease, then this. The people who once lived here
didn't stay long after this happened."
    "That's an impressive story," said George West after a
moment. "But we know what the conquistadores did."
    "Not in detail," said Lindsay. "And you don't know the
individual stories. You didn't know about this particular
woman. We can tell you how old she was, how healthy she
was, if she had other children. Sometimes we can tell if she
was related to anyone else buried here. Your son was wrong
when he said that I don't care about these people. I do. So
does Brian. And Gerri," she added, rather reluctantly. "The
people who lived here talk to me. I know what they looked
like when they were alive. I would recognize them if they
walked up to me."
    No one said anything for a moment. They all looked at
the open pits where the excavators were working. Finally,
Emily spoke. "These people expected to stay buried, or at
least their loved ones expected them to stay in their final
resting places. But if you allow one of us to observe how
you treat the burials, I could ... ," she trailed off as they
heard another truck drive up.
    Lindsay watched as a man jumped out and charged over
to them. The newcomer was a young man in his early thirties, brown hair becoming bleached by the sun. He had a
slender build and possibly a pleasant face, when it wasn't
twisted in anger.
    "What are they doing here? I want them off my property."
    "Mr. Royce!" Brian said,