How can archaeologists better engage the public, tribes, land managers, law enforcement officers and prosecutors regarding the importance and relevance of heritage protection?

Summary

This is an abstract from the "New Perspectives on Heritage Protection: Accomplishing Goals" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Planning for active engagement with land managers, law enforcement, tribes and the public during federal archaeological project development can lead to a more comprehensive, reciprocal appreciation of heritage and its protection. To include public engagement and interpretation into project work, especially NHPA Section 110, partnerships and collaboration with interested tribes, publics, and agencies are critical. Archaeologists often appreciate the scientific, objective data archaeology affords; tribes and non-archaeologists (land managers, law enforcement, prosecutors, publics) prefer histories rooted in identifiable cultural values and emotions. Archaeologists benefit from subjective, value based assistance in partnerships and public forums to develop and plan for interpretation and outreach. The Forest Service, Dakota Prairie Grasslands, has one case study currently being implemented through partnerships with Montana State University, a local historical museum, and members of local tribal and ranching communities. This project includes professional historians interviewing local tribal and ranching communities, holding public meetings and publishing notices in social and conventional media outlets. One desired result is publishing a comprehensive story incorporating oral histories and interview research gathered in conjunction with data from NHPA Section 106 projects. The second desired result is creating a long-term interpretative strategy engaging diverse publics though dynamic, subjective, value based, multimedia approaches.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Perspectives on Heritage Protection: Accomplishing Goals

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24039