This essay raises the issue of ‘authentic’ use of an ancient site, and asks whether it is possible to discriminate one use as more worthy than another. Those within the Native American communities argue their right through inheritance or continued use. How might the more recent 20th century visitors, such as New Age followers, claim their right? Is their use, for ritual purposes, an expression of care and understanding?

Or does it mark a lack of consideration for earlier claims on the site? Is it the site that is really the issue—or the significance of the landscape in which it sits?

Christine Finn, discussing the quandary of National Park Service employees in dealing with ritual objects left in Casa Rinconada, Chaco Canyon, in "‘Leaving more than footprints’: Modern votive offerings at Chaco Canyon prehistoric site." Antiquity 71:177-178. 1997