Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession

Im still reading Childs book on the looting trade that is rampant now in the southwest and elsewhere. I first heard about it talking to an archeologist about looting after I found a potsherd in Chaco canyon, took a picture of it, and then put the shred back where I found it. I got s nice thank you for doing so. The archeologist saw me do it while I was on a walk through the park. I found the book to read more about all of this, and its both scary and shock. It reminds me of drug cartels, and these looting rings can be just as ruthless. Childs peppers his book with both personal experiences and the brutal truth of all of this. Its a fascinating read so far, but scary. I hope I never run into one of these people while exploring the southwest.

This is an outstanding read for everyone, not just people interested in archeology. Childs explores the reasons we are compelled to collect artifacts, from the personal level to the institutional level, even when many of them are absolutely meaningless. He brings up important issues about storage of artifacts, the laws surrounding what we can have and can’t, and the biggest one, I think, should we leave them in situ or squirrel them away in a private collection of institution storage facility where they may never be seen again.
An excellent book on a subject that needs to be reassessed and revamped with an eye to what we are collecting and why.
Seriously folks, do we really need thousands of Native human remains stuffed into cardboard boxes on a shelf no one even remembers is there?

Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession by Craig Childs is a remarkable story of what it means to remove the human past from the ground. Childs is a purist, believing that nearly nothing should be removed certainly not from pot hunters, and most of the time not by archaeologists. But he is also a realist. As the population has exploded in the American Southwest, finds have been discovered at a rapid pace. Inaction is not possible.

As in all his books, Childs just wraps himself around this subject, seeming to inhabit every topic and area. He has such passion and drive and he takes his reader along like a seasoned expert, all draped in remarkable prose.

Keep in mind that this is not a book about archeology, grave robbery, cultural heritage preservation etc. This is a book about author and his philosophy, which is not well defined (“no simple answers”).
Maybe he decided that it was necessary to cement toghether heap of essays and articles but as a result half of the book is dedicated to “I looked long and hard on the basket/axe/pot/arrowhead and started to think who was helding it before and who will be holding it after”. Pity, since the other part of the book is interesting but there is simply not enough of it.

I didn’t realize this is more for a first person’s account of experiences. I was looking for stories, legends, and cultural concepts. However, I was surprised to find it as interesting as it was, as my feet have walked in much of the same places his feet have walked in this book. So, was it this interesting to me because of our mutual experiences in the same places, or because it was that was such a good first person account? Honestly, I can’t say for sure. But I did find it enjoyable.

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