Inclusiveness and Multivocality: A Case Study from the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Organ Mountains Exhibition

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Outreach and Education: Examples of Approaches and Strategies from the Pacific Northwest" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Academic archaeological research is a multi-step process that generally involves research design development, fieldwork, analyzing artifacts and data, writing, publishing results, and disseminating findings (sometimes to the public). In this paper, we argue that archaeologists need to do more at the last stage of archaeological research—dissemination. Specifically, museum exhibitions are a powerful and meaningful way to inspire and educate the public about inclusiveness and multivocality in archaeology. The “Humanhood in the Organ Mountains: Prehistory” exhibit at New Mexico State University Museum serves as an exemplar case study of inclusiveness and multivocality through a collaborative effort with six Zuni elders. The exhibit demonstrates how archaeologists can integrate Native narratives into exhibit schemes, thus expositing the non-Native public to new perspectives on prehistory in North America.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Outreach and Education: Examples of Approaches and Strategies from the Pacific Northwest   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36022.0