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Drennan testimony before the Cultural Property Advisory Committee

Testimony of Dr. Robert Drennan
On Behalf of the Society for American Archaeology
Before the Cultural Property Advisory Committee
On the Request by the Government of the Republic of Colombia
Under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention

September 9, 2004

My name is Robert Drennan, and I am testifying in support of the Article 9 request by the Republic of Colombia with regard to the archaeological record of that nation's pre-European societies. I am very familiar with the archaeology of Colombia, and the threat that its cultural heritage faces from looting. Although certainly not a panacea, the import restrictions sought by the Colombian government will help stem the flow of illicitly-procured artifacts into the U.S., which remains, unfortunately, a primary market for such items.

I am Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh , and Member of the SAA and the American Anthropological Association, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Member of the National Academy of Sciences. I am author or editor of some 12 books, including, of most relevance to the present subject, Las Sociedades Prehispánicas del Alto Magdalena, published by the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History. In addition to long-term research in Colombia, I have taught at the University of the Andes and at the National University of Colombia, both in Bogotá.

Photo #1

Colombia's archaeological heritage is among the richest, and least known, in the world. Large, densely settled populations, organized as chiefdoms, inhabited many of the country's regions for 2500 years or more prior to the arrival of Spanish explorers and conquerors in the sixteenth century. I have carried out archaeological research on these ancient societies in southwestern Colombia for the past 20 years. In my work, I have examined or identified thousands of archaeological sites. Some of these are the remains of ordinary ancient habitation areas; many others contain monumental tombs such as those at Mesitas, near the town of San Agustín, and other significant structures (Photo #1). These latter sites are the principal source of the ancient works of art in such media as stone, ceramics, and gold desired by collectors (Photos #2, 3, 4).

Photo #2

There is no question that Colombia's cultural patrimony is under severe threat of looting. Although it is impossible to quantify such activities, my firsthand knowledge of the situation and that of my colleagues leaves no doubt as to the widespread nature of the problem. The first written reports of the spectacular tombs and statues of southwestern Colombia , in 1758, tell us that the local priest had already brought professional looters from a considerable distance away to look for gold in them. By the time controlled archaeological investigations began in the early twentieth century, many tombs had already been looted. Looted sites are so common on the landscape, that our field forms simply have a box to check to register their presence in a site without having to write it out. The economic and political situation on the ground in Colombia is fueling the looting. Many Colombians, especially in the countryside where most sites are located, are poor. It is easy for many of these people to see prehistoric Native American artwork as simply a potential economic resource. When, in 1992, earthmoving equipment revealed an ancient tomb at Malagana in western Colombia and looters soon began to find other tombs, a veritable gold rush ensued. Newspapers carried photographs of hundreds of people frantically digging in an area already filled with the crater-like holes dug by previous looters. It took weeks, in this violent region, for national authorities to fully establish control over the site. Meanwhile, archaeological pieces numbering in the thousands were removed to unknown destinations. The looting continues to this day—while preparing this testimony, I received word from a research collaborator of finding a previously unreported large earthen tomb mound that had been looted sometime during the past year. In spite of all of this destruction, there are many sites still unexplored—survey work in my research area alone has revealed that in some regions up to 20% of the landscape consists of recognizable archaeological sites. The endemic nature of the looting makes these resources even more valuable, and stopping the looting even more imperative.

Photo #3

The consequences of looting are well-known. When Colombia's tombs are pillaged by looters in search of saleable pieces, virtually nothing recognizable remains (Photo #5). Not only are the prize objects removed with no record from their places of origin, the archaeological evidence of a prehistoric past (which by definition can only be learned from archaeological research) is irreparably damaged. The tombs sought by looters typically occur in residential sites, where careful excavation can enable us to reconstruct prehistoric ways of life. The most spectacular tombs occur in association with the residences of the important individuals buried in them. When the evidence of how these people lived is obliterated by illicit excavations we lose our chance to understand the nature of their importance in their social context, and how the preeminent social roles they played came to be in the first place. Just as significantly, the people of Colombia—and the world in general – lose an important part of their past, of the human story.

Photo #4

The U.S. is unquestionably a major market for looted Colombian cultural materials. Because the sites where looted artifacts originate, and the looters who excavate them, are scattered throughout a very poorly controlled countryside, the U.S. border is a critically important restricted point at which to interdict the traffic. In my own experience, I have occasionally been called by the U.S. Customs Service in Miami for advice about the authenticity of documents presented to them by those attempting to import archaeological objects from Colombia. In no instance have the documents described to me even purported to come from the only legitimate source for authorization of even temporary exportation of archaeological materials from Colombia , the Colombian Institute of Anthropology and History (ICANH). I believe that import restrictions would help make the U.S. border a bulwark against illicitly-procured items, and provide a significant deterrent to looting.

Photo #5

The Colombian government is making a very serious effort itself to enhance the preservation and understanding of its cultural heritage, and combat the problem of looting. The National Constitution of 1991, and cultural heritage protection laws enacted since that time, provide a much stronger framework for policing sites and punishing illegal excavators. Colombia is also engaged in a comprehensive effort to professionalize archaeological research and preservation. Anthropology and museology are now taught at several universities, and ICANH ensures that only professional archaeologists who have submitted peer-reviewed proposals are given permits for excavations. In addition, international archaeologists and scholars are working with ICANH in establishing a comprehensive collections preservation program, which will ensure that the material resources of Colombia's past will remain available for study. The government is also addressing the international aspect of the problem, having signed an agreement with the other nations of the Andean Community to protect and recover all threatened cultural and ethnological resources of the region.

In spite of this progress, it remains a prodigious task to effectively enforce laws against the unscientific excavation of archaeological materials—especially for a national government struggling to maintain control over much of its countryside. Armed insurgencies effectively nullify national police and military presence in large sections of the country. This, coupled with finite government resources, makes preserving even prominent sites difficult. For example, the most elaborate monumental tombs of northern South America are in the vicinity of the town of San Agustín, Colombia, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These tombs, however, are not concentrated in a single archaeological site, but occur in at least 50 known sites scattered over several thousand square kilometers. The ICANH, which is charged with preserving and protecting monuments and other sites, maintains a substantial presence in the region, with permanent installations and staff, but they cannot be everywhere at once in a zone where every time a farmer puts a shovel in the ground there is a very real chance of encountering a prehistoric tomb. Because of this reality, it is imperative that the U.S. assist Colombia's government and cultural resources professionals in any way it can.

I thank the committee for this opportunity to testify, and urge its approval of the Republic of Colombia's Article 9 request.