Accountability in Arctic Archaeology: A Continuing Conversation for Change

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Arctic Pasts: Dimensions of Change" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Within Arctic archaeology, we are encouraged by community-led and partnership projects to continuously rethink our research practices. These projects have demonstrated that change is possible, it can be done successfully, and it leads to rich holistic narratives of past lifeways. However, more attention needs to be given to how current practices contribute to the marginalization of Inuit researchers and communities, whose ways of life, cultural heritage, and homelands are the focus of our research. In 2018, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) released the "National Inuit Strategy for Research" moving toward Inuit self-determination in research. We call on our colleagues to join us in implementing the ITK strategy, to spend more time reflecting on and critically evaluating the impacts of our practices and sit with some uncomfortable truths. As Indigenous and settler archaeologists, we look at the power dynamics within archaeological research across Inuit Nunangat and Kalaallit Nunaat. We discuss the importance of engaging with the broader discourse on “unsettling/decolonizing” research, critical race studies, and most importantly centering Inuit voices. Only as a collective, speaking the truth of our impact and holding each other accountable, can we affect and sustain critical transformations that move the practice of Arctic archaeology ethically forward.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Arctic Pasts: Dimensions of Change

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 32516