Decolonizing Archaeological Methodologies: The Making and Remaking of Research Practices with Tribal Communities

Summary

Archaeological research has traditionally been a top down scientific process of knowledge production with little involvement from the descendant communities whose cultural resources and heritage are under investigation. With the incorporation of feminist, postprocessual, postcolonial, and Indigenous theories in archaeology, the discipline has become more accessible and accountable to publics and communities outside of the specialists who conduct archaeological research. In this presentation, I will outline the approach to Indigenous archaeology that I developed in collaboration with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for my dissertation research at Tolay Lake Regional Park. This approach involved establishing and adhering to core research values and working with tribal committees to ensure that the research is relevant and worthwhile to the tribe. I will show through this case how research that is co-produced with Indigenous communities can lead to richer understandings of the past and how the products of this research can positively impact the lives of many different peoples today.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15869