How Indigenous Museology and Archaeology Can Contribute to the Well-Being of the Comcaac Community

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ideas, Ethical Ideals, and Museum Practice in North American Archaeological Collections" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The history and everyday lives of the Comcaac (Seri) people are intrinsically linked to their ancestral landscape on the central coast of the Sonoran Desert and the Gulf of California. The community’s powerful and complex oral tradition, language, and the continuous occupancy of their originally nomadic territories, ties them directly and undeniably to the archaeological record. The Comcaac Museum, located at the tourist town of Kino Bay, was founded by the state government to “recognize and promote the legacy of the Comcaac.” Most of the archaeological collection still await official classification by INAH, and the museum has operated with little consultation from the Comcaac. During the last decade, some families have showcased and sold crafts, or have performed their traditional songs and dances during museum events. Nevertheless, museums are obligated to build stronger partnerships, this paper presents a new participatory research initiative led by a group of Comcaac women to address some of the community’s ethical dilemmas around museum practices and policy, biocultural conservation and indigenous tourism in their communal lands. A community-led heritage interpretation methodology is being implemented in a collaborative effort to include the cultural and ecological traditional knowledge of the Comcaac to advance Indigenous Museology and Archaeology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ideas, Ethical Ideals, and Museum Practice in North American Archaeological Collections   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 39789.0