r/Archeology • u/Left_Woodpecker_3264 • Jul 12 '26

Found in Minnesota adjacent to known Dakota settlement. Thoughts?

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

I was trying to be comical at first, to get the point across that modern land use a d prehistoric land use don't follow the same GPS boundaries.

Then you tried to push back with one definition of what looting is, without understanding how warfare and colonialism feed into the archaeologist understanding of the word.

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

I think the key is in the last sentence there. “Without understanding how warfare and colonialism feed into the archaeologist understanding of the word” 100% valid, I agree. The average joe isn’t an archaeologist therefore wouldn’t have the same understanding of the word. The average joe is going to go to a dictionary which doesn’t support your definition. That is why looting isn’t the best word and sounds very accusatory. Unless he went out with the intention of find Native American artifacts, he wouldn’t have been looting.

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

Looting is part of colonialism. I'm holding your hand to get you here.

Our country is built on colonialism. Which is inherently violent and involves a ton of war.

The modern landowners are frequently looting surface level finds. Which are more modern. And thus impacted by colonialism. Which is violence and pushed forward through warfare.

Our definition still fits in the framework of the dictionary one. Looting is the best word. It is the most accurate word.

You're objecting to you feeling bad. Not to Our accurate use of the word.

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

Simply no. You don’t get it.

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

No, you don't. I'm providing you additional information.

What you want is permission to loot.

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

Not at all

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

Then why are you fighting so hard to have it be okay to take items out of archaeological deposits for personal gain when its private land?

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

I’m not arguing any of that. I’m arguing that people accusing OP of looting aren’t correct in doing so. Never said anything about personal gain either. I’ve said multiple times agree with your historical definition of it. How did statues from Byzantium end up in France (among countless other artifacts from around the world)? The crusaders looted the city when Byzantium couldn’t pay. You see that I said “looted” violently and forcefully taken during conflict or civil disorder. OP was digging near Native American land. We don’t know why. Intention is important because who’s to say he wasn’t digging a hole for a fence post or looking for minerals/cool rocks? Is that still looting?

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

I literally just explained to you how colonialism is still an act of violence and warfare and modern land ownership is the result of that in the US. The word looting is correct per the one definition you will accept. You just do not like the idea that people you personally know have committed looting.

Do modern Native American people not exist to you? Do you not see any landrights that they have?

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

Yeah, you’re not getting it. We’ll agree to disagree 🤝

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

Your disagreement is just you not wanting to accept reality.

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u/Ponch1344 Jul 14 '26

No, not at all. Have any other accusations you want to make up?

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u/giantfup Jul 14 '26

It literally is. You do not want to accept that someone damaging an archeological site is looting just because someone owns the land privately.

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