What gives British Pagans the right to make a claim over the ancient dead of the British Isles?

This common question is based upon a misunderstanding of the word 'claim', which is interpreted as a claim of authority, custody or ownership. This may be a valid understanding of the word in the context of overseas claims made by indigenous peoples whose ancestral remains were taken without consent, and who now have the strength to demand their return. The British case is, however, rather different, and as such the word is not usually used by HAD - at least, not without careful explanation.

Where HAD speaks of the Pagans' claim, that is a claim of interest. Pagans, in other words, are expressing an interest in the human remains that is rooted in the nature of their religious or spiritual tradition. This may be a profound sensitivity, a visceral concern, an intellectual curiosity, but fundamentally they are expressing a powerful conviction and experience of connection with the ancient dead, whom they perceive to be ancestors - whether of blood, tribe, people, landscape or heritage.

If a heritage organisation or employee dismisses this as irrelevant or inauthentic, they are guilty of a clear expression of religious discrimination.