"To leave a part of who you are here:" Reusing and Reimagining the Archaeological Record on the Pamunkey Indian Reservation

Summary

Archaeologists rarely examine the reuse and reimagining of artifacts within contemporary Indigenous communities. The Pamunkey Indian Tribe, located in the Tidewater region of Virginia, has a long history of utilizing materials from the Reservation’s archaeological record in a variety of ways. For over a century, tribal members have reused artifacts in methods similar to their intended function, and they have reimagined them to create artwork and encourage artistic inspiration. Archaeology has always played a visible role in the lives of Pamunkey tribal members, from the exhibitions displayed at the community’s museum, to the multitude of artifacts one can find along the surrounding banks of the Pamunkey River. Unfortunately, this visibility and engagement on the Reservation is in stark contrast to the archaeology of Native Americans elsewhere in the region. Interweaving Pamunkey perspectives, opinions and memories with ethnographic and archaeological research, this paper contextualizes tribal members’ reuse and reimagining of the Reservation’s archaeological record throughout the past century. Recognizing that the purpose, use and meaning of the archaeological record are varied among Native communities, the research conducted with the Pamunkey community demonstrates those various perceptions can aid archaeologists in our interpretations of the archaeological and material records.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21087