The Political Implications of a Cultural Practice: A New Perspective on Ossuary Burial in the Potomac Valley

This article examines the political implications of ossuary burial as it was practiced by Native American groups living along the Potomac River during the Late Prehistoric and Early Contact periods. Anthropological and archaeological theories of mortuary practice suggest that the occasion and the form of human burial have a social significance that transcends the individual, emotional, and immediate aspects of death. From this perspective, the Potomac ossuaries are seen as evidence of an actively created cultural practice rather than as a passive cultural trait. When viewed within their particular historical and social contexts, these ossuary burials are interpreted as part of the processes by which these societies defined themselves, laid claim to particular territories, created alliances with other groups, and negotiated differences in status and power between competing sectors of society.