Modern Native American Religious Oppression

The Native Americans believe that in order for their ancestors spirits to ascend to the afterlife, they must have a lasting burial. This seems harmless enough a request to grant, but actually, the request is extremely controversial. Modern American archaeologists desire to discover the ancient natives burial grounds to conduct scientific and archaeological research regardless of modern natives beliefs of such an intrusion. As James Riding In, an assistant professor of Justice Studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, states "my opposition to scientific grave looting developed partially through the birth of the American Indian repatriation movement during the late 1960s. Like other American Indians of the time (and now), I viewed archaeology as an oppressive and sacrilegious profession that claimed ownership over many of our deceased relatives, suppressed our religious freedom, and denied our ancestors a lasting burial. Some of the Native American governments, being a sovereign nation, demand the remains of their ancestors held at the Smithsonian Institution.

So basically, by conducting our archaeological research, we desecrate their ancestors graves in the name of science and try to claim impunity. When a crematorium was discovered to be selling the remains of American ancestors, the local and state governments had a conniption fit and started an immediate investigation that resulted in multiple arrests. However, if an archaeologist does it to a completely different nation without their permission, it is considered research. We are therefore setting up two sets of rules and two sets of standards telling the world that if US citizens have their bodies and graves disturbed it is a big deal, but desecrating the graves of a people whose religion forbids such desecration is alright by our government. How is this not discrimination?

Here is the site of the article "Repatriation: A Pawnee's Perspective" by James Riding In.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0095-182X%28199621%2920%3A2%3C238%3ARAPP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7