Conflict in the archaeology of living traditions addresses some of the most controversial issues in the pursuit of archaeology and anthropology today: models and concepts of evolution; selectivity in what is rated 'worthwhile' for purposes of academic research and study; the profound disturbance of indigenous cultures by the exhumation and reburial of human skeletons for the purposes of research. Recent events about the last of these issues, in the United States and Australia in particular, have called into question the relationship between archaeologists and contemporary cultures and peoples. This in turn has led some archaeologists to deny the existence of a continuous indigenous cultural tradition linking living people with the remains of the past, upon which frequently rest indigenous claims for control of such remains. Bringing together new insights from Western scientists and indigenous contributors, the book provides a worldwide range of studies dealing with these difficult problems. All students of archaeology and anthropology will find that the book offers authoritative contemporary insights, from many viewpoints, into several sensitive problem areas. Any reader concerned with issues of conservation and indigenous cultures will be fascinated by the dicussions herein.