I am born of the Dine' (I'm skipping the Clans here). Your uncle recognized a grave robber when he saw one.
You know the old addage about the Reservation: for each Indian there are 2 anthropoligist and 4 Government Indian Agents.
That's too funny, you only hear this from Indians. Thinking about this a little more makes me wonder if its not the difference in how we (as peoples) perceive time and our relationship to the world (not in a corny hippie way)?