Class Reflection

In class on Tuesday, we as a class discussed and uncovered the details the finding of Native American remains on Harpeth Hall's campus. We analyzed emails, articles, and pictures related to the incident. We discovered that the first remains were uncovered during the construction of the track in 1987. The bodies were found in stone graves and were in the fetal position. There are conflicting statements about where the bodies were relocated to. The head of school at the time, Dave Wood, claims they were sent to a reburial ground in the Western portion of Tennessee. However, the state archaeologist stated there is no such place in Tennessee. There was a mixed reaction to the removal of the bodies. A Native American wrote that the treatment of the graves was disgusting and disrespectful. In 1992, more bodies were discovered during the construction of the softball field. This incident remained fairly private from the public and was not reported to the archaeological department. The reason for this could be due to the backlash received previously. The graves were relocated to the back of the library. They were rediscovered in the rebuilding of the library in 2001. I found it surprising how unknown these events are to Harpeth Hall students. It also surprised me how people are allowed to walk over these remains.

Tuesday Class Reflection

In class on Tuesday, Ms. Meltesen informed us that there were Native Americans unearthed on the Harpeth Hall campus. I could not believe this information. What I found most surprising was that the Harpeth Hall community today does not know about the unearthing. In class, I loved putting the clues together and determining that the bones from 1992 were moved to behind the library. Immediately I thought about being a little 5th grader doing gymnastics in that plot of grass while waiting for my mom in the carpool line. I find it very interesting that the Harpeth Hall community does not know about the uncovering. In the 80s, Logos printed articles regarding the discoveries. Local newspapers also did the same. Today, the unearthing is not talked about at our school which confuses me. I cannot wait to learn more about what happened to the missing bones as we continue to uncover more clues about this Harpeth Hall mystery.

Class Reflection

During class we learned about the Native American graves found on Harpeth halls campus. Two different gravesites were found, one on the track and the other on the softball field. The graves from the track have no record as to where they were moved, but the graves from the softball field were moved to the back of the library and they are still there today. I think it is very interesting that we were never told that there were graves behind our library. I feel like it is important to inform the community about the graves, so they know to respect them and not walk on top of them. On the other hand, if we start to publicize this information before the location of the graves from the track are located, there could be some backlash and conspiracies. I am curious as to how people today would react to how Harpeth hall dealt with the graves versus how people in 1987. I am also interested to understand how this important information was not properly conveyed to proceeding heads of school. I feel like there should be an archive of pictures and information about the graves. I think we should also look into some Native American traditions and that may help us understand the ways in which Harpeth Hall acted.

8/27/19 Reflection

After our class discussion Tuesday I have reflected on the discovery of Native American remains on the Harpeth Hall campus.  My parents have always talked about the presence of Native Americans in Tennessee especially because my mom taught fourth grade history, which is basically just Native American history, so it wasn't surprising to me that remains were found on campus.  The most shocking part in my opinion was the failure to recognize this discovery.  Especially on such a progressive campus such as Harpeth Hall I was confused that there is such secrecy about this.  Considering we have even the tree species labelled it seems strange we don't have the back of library marked to pay respects.  I am glad we have the chance to recognize and consider this history moving forward due to our work in class.

Native American Remains on Harpeth Hall Campus

In class on Tuesday, we learned that Native American remains had been unearthed on Harpeth Hall’s campus on multiple occasions.  While they had been found in two separate locations in 1987 and 1992, it shocked me that it is not more widely known or talked about at Harpeth Hall, as I have been going to school here for six years and did not know anything about it until this week.  Although it was mentioned that having a marker on the graves would be disrespectful due to Cherokee tradition, I think Harpeth Hall should revisit this idea and consider putting even just something discreet, such as some flowers or bushes to mark the graves.  Also, I think Harpeth Hall should teach more about this because I think it is an important part of not only Harpeth Hall’s history, but also a part of the larger history of Native Americans in Nashville, Tennessee, and the United States.  I am also interested to know where the remains from 1987 were sent to, as there seems to be conflicting knowledge about where the remains ended up. 

8/27 Class Reflection

During Tuesday's class, I was very surprised to find out the history of Harpeth Hall's land never left the campus. This was the first time I had heard about Native American remains being found on campus. I’m saddened by the fact that the bodies on the track went missing. I'm wondering if we will find some disturbing evidence that those bodies on were disposed of while Harpeth Hall thought they were safe. Maybe we should take even more precaution than “standard procedure” if Harpeth Hall decides to do something about this today. As for the 1992 bodies, I’m glad the appropriate parties were involved in the reburial but I’m wondering what we should do now. Should we mark the graves? We will have to evaluate what the appropriate way to handle this situation in this decade. I would like Harpeth Hall to think about what the right thing is to do and not choose a “solution” that they feel is the safest with the least amount of back-lash. In a decision such as this one, there will always be those who disagree. But continuing to keep the bodies of the past covered and unmarked is not appropriate in today’s world. I would hate to see another mistake made in this endeavor. Therefore, I think we should gather as much information possible and have conversations with multiple parties. After digesting the information for a day, I've been left with the feeling that it was a dream. I walked past the spot and felt ashamed that I did not know about the history of the land I walk on and ashamed that I did not consider who was here before us either. Hopefully, in learning more, I can feel more at peace with the past. In the meantime, I cannot wait to uncover the rest of the story. 

Remains on HH Campus Reflection

In class, we discovered that Native American remains were unearth on the Harpeth Hall campus. While I do understand Harpeth Hall’s thinking in moving the remains to the separate burial site to acquire a more peaceful location, I do not think it was respectful to disturb the remains in the first place. Throughout the evidence, there was not one clear answer as to which tribe the remains belonged to. Therefore, in the unknowing of the tribe, it cannot be known if disturbing remains, or moving them for their original homeland is against tradition. With that, I do not believe that only Cherokee Indians should have been invited to the funeral. Although I can admire Harpeth Hall’s gesture, there was no way of knowing the tribe of the remains, and inviting a separate tribe to the ceremony, in my opinion, was disrespectful. I think that it was moral to honor the remains, but I believe it should have been done more peacefully and a wider audience of Native Americans. I think it would be disrespectful if non-natives were to come to the ceremony. After finding out about the remains, I was saddened that no one ever speaks of it, allowing children to run around all over the graves, disturbing the peace. I believe Harpeth Hall has a responsibility to tell the students and members of the community. I think by telling people this, it could enlighten people and spark new conversations on Native history, which is very rarely spoken about.

In class on Tuesday we learned about how there were Native American remains found on our campus. First, they were found in 1987 when they were building the track, and then they were found in 1992 when they were building the softball field. I have been at Harpeth Hall since 5^th grade and this really shocked me. I had never heard anything about any Native American remains here on our campus. I cannot believe that some of the remains are still here behind the library! I would walk on that grass all of the time. I understand why Harpeth Hall wanted to keep the news of the uncovered burial sites very private because there could be a lot of backlash like there was in 1987 when they discovered the first remains. I also think it is very interesting that they were able to move their remains even though if whites are buried in a certain place you are not allowed by law to bury them. When I mentioned all of this to my mom, she told me that she had heard about the possibility of Native American remains having been discovered here but had thought it was a myth. I also find it crazy that after discovering more remains in 1992 no one has any clear recollection of where they have gone.

8/27 Class Discussion Reflection

Tuesday's class discussion was surprising and very interesting. It was my first time hearing of a scandal to this degree at Harpeth Hall and made me think what other information we are unaware of. I was especially shocked when told that the Native American bodies that were unearthed, now lay behind the library, in an area I have stepped on many times. In class, loved seeing all of the evidence that was gathered when the bodies were first discovered in 1987 and again in 1991. When hearing about this information, my first thought went to how the public thought Harpeth Hall should handle this discovery. We learned that the Native America community was fairly involved in 1987 with the replacement of the corpses. However, when more bodies were found in 1991, the public was not informed. I find it very compelling how Harpeth Hall decided to handle this scandal quietly, instead of announcing this information publicly.  I hope to learn more about the reasoning of the school's officials at the time, and how we could incorporate present Native American history onto our campus today.

After the in-class discussion, I was surprised to discover the mystery of what happened to the graves from the track. From what I recall we agreed that it was uncertain what happened to the native Americans found under the track, and the ones under the softball field were moved to under the library, only to be rediscovered during the library reconstruction. After the conversation in class, I became aware of how it may upset some to know that the bodies were being moved from their original place, and how the publicity of 1987 led to more privacy during the 1992 discovery. What I still feel is not quite right is the fact that it is not known by many on the Harpeth Hall campus. I am aware of why they were covered up at that time, but I feel that simply acknowledging them would be possible more than a decade later. I feel that markers would be a sufficient way to do this, however, I was surprised to find that it is believed it could lead to disrespect. Either way, I hope that this becomes more public in the next few years.

After researching the discovering and unearthing of Native American remains on Harpeth Hall's campus, I understood why Harpeth Hall removed the remains from their initial burial locations. With on going construction in place, I found it respectful to rebury the remains in a separate, peaceful location. However, I was shocked that the ceremony was restricted to Cherokee Indians and little representation of the Harpeth Hall community. What further upset me was that Ann Teaff was told it would be inappropriate to mark the new grave sight of the deceased which is outside of the library. I find it disrespectful to not honor the dead and leave their graves unmarked, students are disturbing the deceaseds' peace without even knowing it. After uncovering the history of the Native American remains on campus, I felt guilty for having walked on graves, despite having no knowledge of their existence. I wonder if the Harpeth Hall community would be more open to having a marking for the gravesite now or at least a piece of artwork with a paragraph explaining the unearthing in order to honor the memory of the Native Americans. I now feel like it is my responsibility to pass this knowledge to other students and hopefully it opens up the conversation in other classrooms. 

In class we learned that Native American remains were found on the Harpeth Hall campus during construction. I was really shocked to find out this information, especially since we have all walked on the grass outside of the library before. It also made me kind of frustrated that some of the remains are still lost. Also I feel like having a small marker by the remains is a better way to preserve the memory of the Native Americans than having no marker at all and no one knowing about it. It would be good to find out where the rest of the remains and maybe contact the guy who said they were taken to a park. I'm also curious to why no one knows. Obviously there isn't a marker but students could still learn about it in other ways. It also makes sense that there was push back considering most people thought that the remains were taken away. I also thought it was interesting that Harpeth Hall decided to still go on with construction of the track even though some people may have been against it. I'm also excited to find out more about who knows about it. It was funny how the different heads of school all dealt with it differently or remembered slightly different things. Also, I wonder if Harpeth Hall is afraid to make a marker because the information would be more public, and then the school might face more push back.