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Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Grave robber' posed for the cameras as he pillaged human remains
The collecting of human remains on an almost industrial scale began in the 19th century and continued long into the 20th. One of the museums most active in collecting human remains was the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, and it was a partner in the expedition to Arnhem Land, along with the National Geographic Society. Frank Setzler was constitutionally incapable of entering an Aboriginal burial ground without thinking about how to rob it. He had form on this front, having collected many remains of Native American people earlier in his career. They were all accessioned into the Smithsonian's physical anthropology collection, one of the largest collections of human bones in the world. It is a sign of his brashness that he allowed a colleague to film his 'grave robbing', as other scientists on the expedition called it. Captured on celluloid, Setzler's actions are repellent yet compelling. Watching it now in the 21st century, with the old 16-millimetre footage converted into a digital file, it is easy to stop and start the film, or to magnify it until the image dissolves into a pixelated blur. In making the film, Setzler transformed the fleetingness of the theft into something that would last forever. His handwritten diary is as brutally candid as the film. He frankly acknowledges his duplicity towards the Bininj, as the people of west Arnhem Land call themselves. In an entry some weeks earlier, he recorded the moment he first spotted the bones. At that stage he was still getting his bearings on the hill. When a Bininj guide showed him around, he could hardly believe the abundance of human remains. But he kept his thoughts to himself: 'I paid no attention to these bones as long as the native was with me'. By the time he was ready to take the bones, he knew the site well, having spent some weeks on the plateau excavating for stone tools. Before he took the bones, he liaised with the expedition's American photographer Howell Walker, who agreed to join him on the plateau and shoot both still and moving footage of their acquisition. The film shows how they tried to make the theft a pedagogical performance, presumably to give it scientific credibility. Setzler at one point can be seen lifting and handling a skull. He points out distinctive features and then slots its jaw in place before presenting to the camera its largely toothless grin. The final seconds of the bone stealing show a glimpse of distant scenery. There is a strip of land, the grass yellow-brown. Further away lies the gleaming billabong and beyond it the mission dwellings. The sequence ends when Setzler and the expedition Australian guide Bill Harney (who suddenly appears from nowhere) cross the frame. Manhandling the now lidded crate, they disappear from the picture. The film is jarringly out of time. It stinks of the body-snatching of the 19th century. Yet we see it through the medium of cinema, that most 20th-century of art forms, and in colour no less. Another disconnect is the lack of soundtrack. We tend to expect that a colour film will have audio, but without the lecture that once accompanied it, there is nothing but deadly silence. No voice. No birdsong. Everything is mute. This sequence is part of the National Geographic Society documentary film Aboriginal Australia. Exhibited only in the US at conferences and in lecture halls, it communicates the story of the 1948 expedition to Americans. Outtakes – often disposed of by production houses – have in this case survived and they tell a most fascinating tale. Not only did Setzler perform the theft for Walker's camera, but he re-performed it in various ways, actively experimenting with his presentation. In the footage intended for public exhibition, he assumes the role of a serious field scientist making a significant discovery. That is very different from a take in which he hams it up as a madcap explorer. In that sequence, he marches into frame and feigns astonishment as he 'discovers' the very bones that he first saw weeks earlier. With cartoonish gesticulations, he signals to the out-of-frame Harney to come and look. Not until Harney is fully in view and enacting his own surprise does Setzler begin to reap his grim harvest. Amidst the jumble of takes and retakes, we see him at one point returning a skull to its crevice so he can perform the theft in a different way. Sixty years later, having recently obtained copies of the film from the National Geographic Society, I sat with the eminent elder Jacob Nayinggul on his veranda in the Banyan Camp at Gunbalanya, watching this material on a laptop. He, too, was silent – silent with rage. As the film reveals, Setzler became brasher and bolder as the expedition neared the end. His personal diary reveals pride in the ruses he went to in avoiding the scrutiny of locals. To provide manpower on his digs for stone tools, which occurred in rock shelters on Injalak (conveniently close to the ossuaries), two teenagers from the mission were assigned to him as archaeological assistants. One was Jimmy Bungaroo, who would become a well-known community leader in Maningrida later in life. The other man was Mickey (whose full name never appears in the expedition records). The pair can be seen in expedition films and photos, sifting soil that throws up great clouds of dust. Setzler supervises, wearing a protective mask. But there were no masks for the two youngsters who were actually performing the hard labour. The heat of those days was crippling. Setzler estimated that inside the tents, the temperature reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) during the day. Outside, the air was thick and stagnant. The period known to Territorians as 'the build-up' had begun. High temperatures are matched with high humidity, a sure signal that the wet season is on its way. In these conditions, it is little wonder that Setzler's workers required a siesta after a morning spent shifting and inhaling dirt. This provided the opportunity to acquire another cache of bones, as Setzler explained. 'During the lunch period, while the two native boys were asleep, I gathered the two skeletons which had been placed in crevices outside the caves. These were disarticulated ... and only skull and long bones. One had been painted with red ochre. These I carried down to the camp in burlap sacks and later packed in ammunition boxes.' On November 1 it rained. The wet season was nigh. Setzler had discovered more bones that he would have stolen, but he had nothing to pack them in. Even so, he had garnered a rich harvest. He carefully 'painted the ammunition boxes containing skeletal material and numbered them consecutively after my personal box numbers'. He screwed them shut and noted: 'These will go to US without opening in Sydney'. They were ready for transportation to their eventual destination, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. There they would remain for the next 60 years.
The Age
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘Grave robber' posed for the cameras as he pillaged human remains
The collecting of human remains on an almost industrial scale began in the 19th century and continued long into the 20th. One of the museums most active in collecting human remains was the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, and it was a partner in the expedition to Arnhem Land, along with the National Geographic Society. Frank Setzler was constitutionally incapable of entering an Aboriginal burial ground without thinking about how to rob it. He had form on this front, having collected many remains of Native American people earlier in his career. They were all accessioned into the Smithsonian's physical anthropology collection, one of the largest collections of human bones in the world. It is a sign of his brashness that he allowed a colleague to film his 'grave robbing', as other scientists on the expedition called it. Captured on celluloid, Setzler's actions are repellent yet compelling. Watching it now in the 21st century, with the old 16-millimetre footage converted into a digital file, it is easy to stop and start the film, or to magnify it until the image dissolves into a pixelated blur. In making the film, Setzler transformed the fleetingness of the theft into something that would last forever. His handwritten diary is as brutally candid as the film. He frankly acknowledges his duplicity towards the Bininj, as the people of west Arnhem Land call themselves. In an entry some weeks earlier, he recorded the moment he first spotted the bones. At that stage he was still getting his bearings on the hill. When a Bininj guide showed him around, he could hardly believe the abundance of human remains. But he kept his thoughts to himself: 'I paid no attention to these bones as long as the native was with me'. By the time he was ready to take the bones, he knew the site well, having spent some weeks on the plateau excavating for stone tools. Before he took the bones, he liaised with the expedition's American photographer Howell Walker, who agreed to join him on the plateau and shoot both still and moving footage of their acquisition. The film shows how they tried to make the theft a pedagogical performance, presumably to give it scientific credibility. Setzler at one point can be seen lifting and handling a skull. He points out distinctive features and then slots its jaw in place before presenting to the camera its largely toothless grin. The final seconds of the bone stealing show a glimpse of distant scenery. There is a strip of land, the grass yellow-brown. Further away lies the gleaming billabong and beyond it the mission dwellings. The sequence ends when Setzler and the expedition Australian guide Bill Harney (who suddenly appears from nowhere) cross the frame. Manhandling the now lidded crate, they disappear from the picture. The film is jarringly out of time. It stinks of the body-snatching of the 19th century. Yet we see it through the medium of cinema, that most 20th-century of art forms, and in colour no less. Another disconnect is the lack of soundtrack. We tend to expect that a colour film will have audio, but without the lecture that once accompanied it, there is nothing but deadly silence. No voice. No birdsong. Everything is mute. This sequence is part of the National Geographic Society documentary film Aboriginal Australia. Exhibited only in the US at conferences and in lecture halls, it communicates the story of the 1948 expedition to Americans. Outtakes – often disposed of by production houses – have in this case survived and they tell a most fascinating tale. Not only did Setzler perform the theft for Walker's camera, but he re-performed it in various ways, actively experimenting with his presentation. In the footage intended for public exhibition, he assumes the role of a serious field scientist making a significant discovery. That is very different from a take in which he hams it up as a madcap explorer. In that sequence, he marches into frame and feigns astonishment as he 'discovers' the very bones that he first saw weeks earlier. With cartoonish gesticulations, he signals to the out-of-frame Harney to come and look. Not until Harney is fully in view and enacting his own surprise does Setzler begin to reap his grim harvest. Amidst the jumble of takes and retakes, we see him at one point returning a skull to its crevice so he can perform the theft in a different way. Sixty years later, having recently obtained copies of the film from the National Geographic Society, I sat with the eminent elder Jacob Nayinggul on his veranda in the Banyan Camp at Gunbalanya, watching this material on a laptop. He, too, was silent – silent with rage. As the film reveals, Setzler became brasher and bolder as the expedition neared the end. His personal diary reveals pride in the ruses he went to in avoiding the scrutiny of locals. To provide manpower on his digs for stone tools, which occurred in rock shelters on Injalak (conveniently close to the ossuaries), two teenagers from the mission were assigned to him as archaeological assistants. One was Jimmy Bungaroo, who would become a well-known community leader in Maningrida later in life. The other man was Mickey (whose full name never appears in the expedition records). The pair can be seen in expedition films and photos, sifting soil that throws up great clouds of dust. Setzler supervises, wearing a protective mask. But there were no masks for the two youngsters who were actually performing the hard labour. The heat of those days was crippling. Setzler estimated that inside the tents, the temperature reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 degrees Celsius) during the day. Outside, the air was thick and stagnant. The period known to Territorians as 'the build-up' had begun. High temperatures are matched with high humidity, a sure signal that the wet season is on its way. In these conditions, it is little wonder that Setzler's workers required a siesta after a morning spent shifting and inhaling dirt. This provided the opportunity to acquire another cache of bones, as Setzler explained. 'During the lunch period, while the two native boys were asleep, I gathered the two skeletons which had been placed in crevices outside the caves. These were disarticulated ... and only skull and long bones. One had been painted with red ochre. These I carried down to the camp in burlap sacks and later packed in ammunition boxes.' On November 1 it rained. The wet season was nigh. Setzler had discovered more bones that he would have stolen, but he had nothing to pack them in. Even so, he had garnered a rich harvest. He carefully 'painted the ammunition boxes containing skeletal material and numbered them consecutively after my personal box numbers'. He screwed them shut and noted: 'These will go to US without opening in Sydney'. They were ready for transportation to their eventual destination, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. There they would remain for the next 60 years.
The Mainichi
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Trump's education secretary threatens to pull funding from NY over its Native American mascot ban
MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (AP) -- New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban is discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the "Dutchmen" and the "Huguenots," are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an "incredible" representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. "The Trump Administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes," the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment said. McMahon said her department will give the state ten days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologizing to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to "erase" their history. JP O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as "political theater" and said the school district was doing a "grave disservice" to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns. "These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children," he said in a statement. Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Friday's event, also don't speak on behalf of local Indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, said Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation. "They're Native Americans for hire," he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. "They have no tribal authority." Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country's oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery. "These depictions are not tributes -- they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance," the organization said in a statement ahead of McMahon's appearance. Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Trump ally who joined McMahon on the visit, echoed the sentiments of residents who support keeping the mascot. The Massapequa chief, he said, is meant to "honor" the town's Native American heritage, not "denigrate" it. "They're trying to change our culture, and we're not having it," Blakeman said. The town is named after the Massapequa, who were part of the broader Lenape, or Delaware, people who inhabited the woodlands of the Northeastern U.S. and Canada for thousands of years before being decimated by European colonization. But indigenous residents on Long Island have called Massapequa's mascot problematic as it depicts a Native American man wearing a headdress that was typically worn by tribes in the American Midwest, but not in the Northeast. The cheery mascot also obscures Massapequa's legacy of violence against Native Americans, which includes the site of a Native American massacre in the 1600s, Native American activists have said. Massapequa, which is roughly 90% white, has long been a conservative bastion popular with New York City police and firefighters. Trump visited the town last year to attend the wake of a New York City police officer and has made frequent visits to Long Island as it has shifted Republican. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Hollywood's Baldwin brothers and the Long Island's alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer are also among Massapequa High's notable alums. ___ This story has been corrected to remove a reference to the event taking place Thursday. It took place Friday.
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Business Standard
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Trump admin threatens to cut NY funding over Native American mascot ban
US Education Secretary Linda McMahon said her agency found New York state officials violated Title VI by banning Native American mascots and logos AP New York New York is discriminating against a school district that refuses to get rid of its Native American chief mascot and could face a Justice Department investigation or risk losing federal funding, President Donald Trump's top education official said Friday. US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, on a visit to Massapequa High School on Long Island, said an investigation by her agency has determined that state education officials violated Title VI of the federal civil rights law by banning the use of Native American mascots and logos statewide. The department's civil rights office found the state ban discriminatory because names and mascots derived from other racial or ethnic groups, such as the Dutchmen and the "Huguenots", are still permitted. McMahon described Massapequa's chiefs mascot as an incredible representation of Native American leadership as she made the announcement backed by dozens of students and local officials in the high school gymnasium. The Trump administration will not stand idly by as state leaders attempt to eliminate the history and culture of Native American tribes, the former longtime CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) said. McMahon said her department will give the state 10 days to sign an agreement rescinding its Native American mascot ban and apologising to Native Americans for having discriminated against them and attempted to erase their history. J P O'Hare, a spokesperson for the New York education department, dismissed McMahon's visit as political theatre and said the school district was doing a grave disservice to its students by refusing to consult with local tribes about their concerns. These representatives will tell them, as they have told us, that certain Native American names and images perpetuate negative stereotypes and are demonstrably harmful to children, he said in a statement. Representatives from the Native American Guardians Association, who voiced support for keeping the chief mascot at Thursday's event, also don't speak on behalf of local indigenous residents, despite claims from school officials, Adam Drexler, a Massapequa resident and member of the Chickasaw Nation, said. They're Native Americans for hire, he said, noting the group is based in North Dakota. They have no tribal authority. Meanwhile the National Congress of American Indians, considered the country's oldest and largest Native American advocacy group, reaffirmed its long-standing opposition to the use of unsanctioned Native American imagery. These depictions are not tributes -- they are rooted in racism, cultural appropriation, and intentional ignorance, the organisation said in a statement ahead of McMahon's appearance. Trump ordered the federal education department to launch an inquiry into the Massapequa mascot dispute last month, making the coastal suburb an unlikely flashpoint in the enduring debate over the place of Indigenous imagery in American sports. Located about 64-km east of Manhattan, the town has for years fought a state mandate to retire Native American sports names and mascots. But its lawsuit challenging the state's 2023 ban on constitutional grounds was dismissed by a federal judge earlier this year. State education officials gave districts until the end of this school year to commit to replacing them or risk losing education funding. Schools could be exempt from the mandate if they gained approval from a local Native American tribe, but Massapequa never sought such permission, state officials have said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Special session of North Dakota Legislature unclear with legal research underway
North Dakota House lawmakers meet during the final hours of the session on May 3, 2025. (Kyle Martin/For the North Dakota Monitor) A special session of the North Dakota Legislature is still up in the air as the attorney general reviews options to fix an error with a line-item veto. Meanwhile, legislative leaders this week directed staff to do legal research on possible scenarios that would prompt the Legislature to come back into session, including a recent appeals court ruling that affects legislative districts. Gov. Kelly Armstrong's general counsel has asked for an attorney general's opinion on his line-item veto of Senate Bill 2014. Armstrong's veto message only indicated he objected to a $150,000 grant, but the message was accompanied by red lines crossing out a section of the bill that also included $35 million for the Housing Incentive Fund. North Dakota governor unintentionally vetoes $35 million for housing programs Attorney Chris Joseph wrote in his request for an opinion that the red marking 'merely serves as a color-coded visual aid.' He asked for an opinion on whether the governor's written veto message or the visual pen marks on the bill satisfy the constitutional requirements of a line-item veto. Mike Nowatzki, spokesman for the governor, said the opinion will determine the next steps. Armstrong previously said he would call lawmakers back for a special session if necessary to correct the mistake. Legislative Council estimates a special session would cost $65,000 per day. Senate Majority Leader David Hogue, R-Minot, said Wednesday during a meeting of Legislative Management that he asked Legislative Council staff to brief legislative leaders on scenarios that might prompt lawmakers to reconvene. One question Hogue raised is whether the Legislature has a duty to act in response to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that overturned a 2023 district court ruling that found the state's 2021 redistricting plan unlawfully diluted the voting power of Native American voters. A federal judge had ordered the Legislature to change its district map, but if the appellate court's ruling stands, the state would revert back to the 2021 plan. The plaintiffs, which include the Spirit Lake Nation and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, have asked for a rehearing before the full 8th Circuit. Hogue also asked staff to provide a legal briefing related to the governor's vetoes and whether that would prompt legislators to reconvene. Armstrong issued seven line-item vetoes on six bills after the session adjourned. Previously, Legislative Council Director John Bjornson said a special session was the only obvious legal remedy to fix the error with the veto, but he said this week his staff continue to research the issue. Other situations that might prompt the Legislature to reconvene are a significant drop in the price of oil that changes the state's budget outlook or federal funding cuts that have major impacts to state or local subdivisions, Hogue said. If lawmakers call themselves back into session, they have six remaining days of their 80-day limit. If Armstrong calls a special session, that would not affect the 80-day limit. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
