Page 6 - RAGBRAI2009

DAY 2 - RED OAK TO GREENFIELD

Photograph courtesy of John Cordell. In 1976, Iowa became
the first state in the nation
This approximately 300 year old, to enact a law to protect
walnut dugout canoe was discovered ancient burials. Nationally,
in 1975 along the East Nishnabotna the Native American Graves
River near Red Oak in Montgomery Protection and Repatriation
County. Since that time it has been Act of 1990 or NAGPRA as
curated and on display at the OSA it has become known, offers
in Iowa City. Recently, through the protection to Native Ameri-
coordinated efforts of the OSA and can burials, and provides a
Montgomery County Historical So- process for returning Native
ciety, the canoe is now on renewable American cultural items
loan to the Montgomery County His- and human remains to
tory Center in Red Oak. culturally affiliated Indian
tribes. To learn more about
NAGPRA, go to: http://
www.nps.gov/history/
nagpra.

Iowa Site File

More than 23,000 archaeological aerial photos, permitting easier cross-

sites are recorded in Iowa and man- referencing of the data. Research that

aged at the OSA through a database used to take many person-hours and

system called I-Sites. 1000s of separate paper

This system uses maps can now be done

a Geographic In- quickly and easily on

formation System computers. Archae-

(GIS) to organize ologists are able to

map data and link enter data for new

it with other data sites directly into

related to each site the database, and

location. Through a also access the data

public portal you may wherever they may be

view the number of Map showing the location of working. This system
recorded archaeological sites
archaeological sites per across Iowa. is one of the first of its
one-mile section for kind in the United States,
the state: http://www2. and remains a project in

uiowa.edu/i-sites/public.html. I-Sites progress as we continually update not

allows site locations and data to be only site information, but the website

layered over standard maps and and technology behind it.