I found this story very intriguing. First we have a son coming to terms with his fathers life and trying to understand one of his fathers prized possessions; a skull and femur bones brought back from Viet Nam, carefully preserved for years. I was interested in hearing this piece to see what it might reveal about a person who takes the bones of another human and keeps them. Human bones, were they war trophies? Can they be anything else? I wondered what Dereks late father thought of each time he was with "his bones". Unfortunatley no one in the family ever asked him why he'd taken the bones.
For me, this story also was also profoundly personal. As a Native American I have on occasion had people contact me about the Indian bones they have in the garrage or basement and ask me what to do with them. I always ask them where they got them and why they kept them. I can't say that I've ever been given an answer that has helped me understand this practice.
In this case, I like it that Derek tries to do the right thing and return them to their homeland where some family may be longing to give them a proper burial. Perhaps, this piece may prompt some listerners to repatriate the bones of our ancestors, as Derek points out, there may be a family waiting for their relative to come home.
While this story may be disturbing to some listeners, I think the producer did a good job and it brings into the open a topic that deserves some deliberation.
Review of Vietnam Bones
Peggy Berryhill
Posted on October 24, 2004 at 02:41 PM
I found this story very intriguing. First we have a son coming to terms with his fathers life and trying to understand one of his fathers prized possessions; a skull and femur bones brought back from Viet Nam, carefully preserved for years. I was interested in hearing this piece to see what it might reveal about a person who takes the bones of another human and keeps them. Human bones, were they war trophies? Can they be anything else? I wondered what Dereks late father thought of each time he was with "his bones". Unfortunatley no one in the family ever asked him why he'd taken the bones.
For me, this story also was also profoundly personal. As a Native American I have on occasion had people contact me about the Indian bones they have in the garrage or basement and ask me what to do with them. I always ask them where they got them and why they kept them. I can't say that I've ever been given an answer that has helped me understand this practice.
In this case, I like it that Derek tries to do the right thing and return them to their homeland where some family may be longing to give them a proper burial. Perhaps, this piece may prompt some listerners to repatriate the bones of our ancestors, as Derek points out, there may be a family waiting for their relative to come home.
While this story may be disturbing to some listeners, I think the producer did a good job and it brings into the open a topic that deserves some deliberation.