Indigenizing Archaeology
Putting Theory Into Practice

Emily C. Van Alst (Edited by), Carlton Shield Chief Gover (Edited by)

9780813069869

Hardback, published 9 April 2024

230 pages, 8 b/w illustrations, 5 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.272 kg

This book highlights early-career Indigenous scholars conducting research in North America who are advancing the growing paradigm of archaeological study done with, by, and for members of Native-descendant communities. Expanding on the foundational works of scholars from previous generations, this volume includes examples of Indigenous methodologies and illustrates different approaches for applying theory in various research scenarios.

The contributors weave together western scientific research methods and Indigenous knowledge, ontologies, and epistemologies, demonstrating how this combination can lead to fuller interpretations of the archaeological record. Case studies describe new, culturally specific ways of establishing working relationships with descendant communities and stakeholders. The volume argues that there are many ways a collaborative method can be implemented and that Indigenous people should be involved not just as consultants but as participants and stewards of their own cultural heritage. Indigenizing Archaeology demonstrates that this approach is more than a subfield; it is the path forward for the discipline.

Contributors: Emily C. Van Alst | Carlton Shield Chief Gover | Ash Boydston-Schmidt | Honey Constant-Inglis | Patrick Cruz | Lydia Curliss | Zoë Antoinette Eddy | Nicholas C. Laluk | Kay Kakendasot Mattena | S. Margaret Spivey-Faulkner | Ashleigh BigWolf Thompson | Joe Watkins

• CONTENTS
• List of Figures vii List of Tables ix Foreword xi
• Acknowledgments xvii
• Indigenizing Archaeology: Putting Theory into Practice xix
• Emily C. Van Alst and Carlton Shield Chief Gover
• Part I. Recontextualizing Archives of Knowledge
• 1. Story of Your/My/Our Skull: The Museum as a Haunted and Haunting Space 3
• Zoë
  Antoinette Eddy
• 2. Biidoban in the Museum 22
• Kay Kakendasotkwe Mattena
• 3. Rubber Yardsticks: Emic Methods in Indigenous Archaeology 33
• S. Margaret Spivey-Faulkner
• 4. Archives in Conversation with Indigenous Archaeology: Creating Sustainable Partnerships in Work and Practice 50
• Lydia Curliss
• Part II. Reclaiming Cultural Heritage
• 5. A Journey of Growth and Personal Observations from an Indigenous Archaeologist 65
• Patrick Cruz
• 6. Place as Indigenized Archaeological Knowledge 82
• Nicholas C. Laluk
• 7. Living Our Relationships in the NAGPRA Process 96
• Ash Boydston-Schmidt
• 8. Truth and Reconciliation in Archaeology 109
• Honey Constant-Inglis
• Part III. Retelling Indigenous Stories
• 9. Indigenizing Rock Art Research: Indigenous Archaeological Methods to (Re)Contextualize and (Re)Claim Rock Art Sites 125
• Emily C. Van Alst
• 10. Storywork as Method and Theory in Indigenous Archaeology 139
• Ashleigh BigWolf Thompson
• 11. Histories within Radiocarbon 155
• Carlton Shield Chief Gover
• Afterword: Archaeology as a Manifestation of Sovereignty, Self- Determination, and Activism 173
• Joe Watkins
• List of Contributors 187 Index 189