The Knowledge Keepers: Protecting Pueblo Culture from the Western World

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Research, Education, and American Indian Partnerships at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The clash that occurs when certain Pueblo information falls into the hands of outsiders is partly due to differing conceptualizations of knowledge between the Pueblos and the Western world. Except for highly classified government and personal information protected by law, just about anything is available to know and share in the dominant world. One only needs time, money, and the desire to acquire it, and it takes less than a minute to Google today’s high-speed, fingertip-accessed information. Western knowledge is highly valued and the monetary rewards and status it brings to academics is substantial. Every field of study has a research component where the discovery of new information is expected to extend the knowledge base and the careers of those working within it. To deny information is to deny this opportunity, which goes against Western notions of success. Denying information creates suspicion of what people might be hiding or whether this behavior is even lawful and discriminatory toward non-Native inquirers. Herein lies the conflict over information sharing between Pueblos and the Western world. This presentation examines how traditional Pueblo culture can be protected and preserved.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Research, Education, and American Indian Partnerships at the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36051.0