I see a pretty obvious contradiction here. You would think that the respect of ancient cultures that motivates such excavations would motivate the protection of those related and endangered cultures of today.

And if the only reasonable claim on a piece of dirt is sovereignty, not to mention that that sovereignty been placed back in the hands of aboriginal elders, the sovereignty alone isn't enough justification to go digging for the past - it would seem that curiosity is part and parcel of a respect for culture.