Preserve pieces of the past

The amnesty program for returning Indian artifacts to the government has been a success. Over a four-state region, the U.S. Attorney's Office has reclaimed dozens of artifacts, including a Zuni war god carved out of a log, a panel of Indian art hewn from a boulder and more than 20 sets of human remains. Some recovered pots date back 1,300 years.

The recovery is especially poignant for states that comprise the Four Corners region. The area is considered to be the birthplace of humanity for many tribes. Even descendants of Mexican tribes point to the Four Corners as the home of the mystical city of Aztlan.

The downside of the effort is it has revealed just how much has been looted from native cultures over the years. Relying on the age-old notion of "finders keepers," collectors, dealers and vacationers have taken a vast array of items from the four-state region that could have helped archaeologists decipher the bedeviling aspects of regional history.

Understanding the past is a key to understanding the present. When continuity is broken, so is a sense of communal knowledge and the thread of vital human information.

If fact, the loss of so many Native American items gives one pause about our own age. How many family heirloom treasures have been tossed or discarded by people today? How much important family information has been trashed because we live in such a disposable society?

In-depth biographies of historical figures are often possible because people left a paper trail of documents and personal correspondence. Who will be able to reconnect all the electric impulses of the telephone calls, e-mails and voice mails that make up our modern age?

The modern world is constantly learning vital lessons from native cultures. Simplicity, sharing and finding one's place in the natural cycle are three such lessons. Perhaps another might be added: The things today that seem insignificant may one day be a key to learning valuable insights about humanity.

Looting a sacred burial ground is a felony.

Depriving a people of a link to its heritage and ancestors is a bigger crime.

We applaud the Attorney General's Office for its amnesty program. And even though the offer has expired, we urge others — out of conscience — to return scavenged artifacts to the rightful owners.