Pursuing Trauma-Informed Practices for Post Contact Cemetery Preservation

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2024 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The NC Office of State Archaeology’s (NCOSA) Historic Cemetery Program seeks to preserve and study the state’s post contact period cemeteries as well as support their descendants, communities, and local governments. Through NCOSA’s community-focused work it has become apparent that these places are not only historic and archaeological, but deeply emotional landscapes. Cemeteries are sites of past and ongoing personal grief and often act as physical stand-ins for broader enduring cultural and structural trauma. In response, NCOSA is seeking evolved approaches to outreach and engagement. How can archaeologists proceed responsibly with communities and their knowledge and resources and responsively to community needs. Are traditional historic preservation best practices always best? This poster explores trauma-informed historic cemetery preservation practices and welcomes visitor input and discussion.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2024   •
• 2024 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow