This includes all ground-disturbing activities, including on Civil War sites.
On private land, it is legal to dig or metal detect for artifacts IF you have written permission from the landowner, and IF you have notified the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in writing five (5) business days before you begin. It is legal to collect artifacts from the surface of private property, IF you have written permission from the landowner. Laws pertaining to state and federal lands do not distinguish between surface collecting and any type of digging for artifacts. Laws pertaining to private lands distinguish between surface collecting (picking up objects laying on top of the ground) and any ground-disturbing, or digging for artifacts. Is it legal to collect artifacts? Is it legal to dig for artifacts? Is it legal to dive for artifacts in river or stream bottoms, or along the coast?.What does the Department of Natural Resources do?.How do I notify the Department of Natural Resources that I intend to dig on private property?.Can burial objects be found on the ground surface?.What is a burial object? How do I know if something is a burial object?.Which artifacts are legal to have and which are not?.What should I do if I have skeletal remains?.Is my personal artifact collection legal? Can it be confiscated? Can I display it publicly?.What is the best way to protect an archaeological site?.Why are there laws regarding human remains, artifacts, archaeological sites, and collecting?.
Do I get in trouble if I find a burial?.What do I do if I think I have found a burial?.How do I know if Ive encountered a grave or burial?.Is it legal to collect artifacts? Is it legal to dig for artifacts?.All made by local tribal members.Some information for these FAQs is derived from materials prepared by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Council on American Indian Concerns. Oh yes- do not miss the gift shop! Lots of beautiful pottery, woven rugs, and baskets for sale. One of the best explanations and descriptions of various tribal beliefs/customs/ways of life that I've seen. I would've loved to have time to walk through the rest. Unfortunately our 15-month-old son had a meltdown almost as soon as we entered the museum, so I only made it through about four tribes. I found it fascinating to read about the influence of Catholicism on the Tarahumara's rites and celebrations. The exhibit shows where and how they live and their experiences with European settlers & explorers (in some cases positive, in most cases.not so much). The section I enjoyed the most was the description of about 10 different Indian tribes from their perspectives.
Interesting to have a glimpse into the restoration area as well. The collection itself is fairly extensive, though it's only one room. The pottery exhibit is absolutely not to be missed. My husband was more interested in Native American art and culture, so we chose the State Museum to visit together. After visiting both, I found those descriptions to be accurate. I had read on Tripadvisor (thanks, previous reviewers!) that this museum is good for learning about Native American history/art, and the Tucson Museum of Art focuses more on Latin American/southwestern art and culture. We opted to visit this museum because the price was right - $5/person.