A View from the Bridge: The Role of Anthropological Consultation in the Twenty-First Century

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Collaborative and Community Archaeology" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Many Indigenous groups that underwent the deleterious effects of colonialism and forced acculturation are now in the process of repatriating their traditional knowledge and culture and reclaiming their unique identities, social structures, and governance. In Canada, this process of self-determination is within the context of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was officially adopted in May 2016, but more generally is within the context of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, which were presented in December 2015. This paper concerns such action by the Tahltan, a First Nation whose people live in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Prior to COVID-19, as a step toward reclaiming Tahltan knowledge, the Tahltan reviewed the historical record to identify what outsiders observed about Tahltan culture, values, social structure, and practices. This effort was directed by Sandra Marian, the then Director of Culture and Heritage for the Tahltan Government. The paper presents the goals and methodology of this work, identifies the problems found during its promulgation, and concludes with recommendations for such consultation in the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Collaborative and Community Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 35863.0