Archaeology for the Land: The Potential of Community-Based Archaeology for Land Stewardship

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Collaborative and Community Archaeology" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

When archaeologists are community focused and projects are community oriented, archaeology possesses the capability to go beyond data collection for the sake of academic research. Successful community-based participatory archaeological research has yielded a range of results—from raising public awareness of local history, to implementing outreach education programs, to connecting stakeholder groups, and even so far as to boost local tourism economies. This list is not exhaustive. Community-based archaeology, when implemented properly, has demonstrated benefits for communities and archaeologists alike and still has potential to go farther. The SAA maintains that archaeologists are stewards of the archaeological record—but for whom? Indigenous communities in the United States and elsewhere have long been some of the best stewards of their lands, both culturally and environmentally. As a result of the impacts of colonialism, however, much of that traditional knowledge has been ignored or lost. Community-based participatory archaeology holds the unique potential to serve stakeholder communities by recovering knowledge. It may also serve to advocate for land rights and the implementation of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) on a larger scale. This talk will explore the potential of community-based archaeology for land stewardship for Indigenous groups in the United States and beyond.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Collaborative and Community Archaeology   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40194.0