Arthur C. Parker: Legacies of a Seneca Archaeologist

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Sins of Our Ancestors (and of Ourselves): Confronting Archaeological Legacies" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Arthur Caswell Parker was one of the first of his kind as an indigenous archaeologist. As a Seneca scientist with roots on the Cattaraugus territory where his grandparents lived, he had a foot in two worlds that may have aided with collaboration and research. However, his career started at a time when the archaeological field was still in its infancy, and many Native American tribes considered archaeological research and collecting practices to be unethical. Although the installation of the NAGPRA legislation moves to improve the discourse between tribes and archaeologists, a strong dichotomy in the rhetoric concerning archaeology in Native American communities remains. Different people will have opposing views on archaeology and Parker himself. In this paper, we aim to bring to light the differing views held by individuals within the Seneca Nation by exploring traditional and modern beliefs. This study delves into contrasting perspectives in regards to Arthur C. Parker and archaeology within the Seneca Nation of Indians.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Sins of Our Ancestors (and of Ourselves): Confronting Archaeological Legacies

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 26333