by Mark Bellinger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - There has been unexpected consequences of the May flooding including an increase in looting of ancient Native American graves along the Cumberland River.
It's easy to see the impact of the May floods walking along the Cumberland River; an eroded bank line where dozens of Native American grave sites are now exposed.
Archaeologist Aaron Deter-Wolf with the state of Tennessee showed us where looters have dug hole after hole looking for artifacts they can sell for a profit.
"Okay, so what we're looking at here you can see these individual pick marks where someone has came in and dug this out," said Deter-Wolf. There were some human bones sticking out of the bank line, so someone else came in and noticed this and decided to dig for the artifacts within that grave."
The flood waters also unearthed shells that have been buried here for thousands of years. People discarded them after eating fresh water snails and river mussels. They're all over the banks of the river.
The looters are looking for artifacts like pottery, arrowheads, spear points, a hoe blade, and a grooved axe. Archaeologists said looters are selling them to make a quick buck.
"A lot of them find homes in online auction houses. A lot of them make it into artifact or antique dealers in the broader southeast," Deter-Wolf said.
It's hard for native American Jimmy Reedy to understand how people can be so heartless.
"It's something that really gets under our skin. You know, we're still around. We're not relics and for people to treat our graves that way is very disrespectful," said Reedy.
It's also against the law to disturbing any grave site in Tennessee.
"This is something that has been going on for hundreds of years. It has gotten remarkably worse since the flood and with the economy in the situation it is," said Deter-Wolf.
State officials believe there are up to a dozen people who are looting grave sites full time on the Cumberland River. It's hard to catch them, because it's difficult to prove the artifacts were stolen unless you catch the thieves red handed.
The National Science Foundation is funding a study of the Cumberland River and the affects of the flooding. The state's archaeology division and MTSU are evaluating the flood's affect on erosion and the burial sites.
If you run across an old burial site you should call the medical examiner's office and the Tennessee Division of Archaeology.
Email: mbellinger@newschannel5.com
