Untangling the Roots of Bias: Western versus Native American Thought-Ways in Rock Imagery Research

Summary

This is an abstract from the "(Re) Imagining Rock Art Research" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Approaching Native American rock imagery through the lens of post-Enlightenment Western thought-ways has led to interpretations at odds with Native American thought-ways. To better contextualize Native American rock art and to bring archaeological studies more into alignment with Native American teachings, several of these philosophical differences are discussed here with specific examples showing how they have influenced rock imagery research. These include many aspects of thought: hierarchical versus horizontal distribution of power; bigger is better versus the power and potential of all things; male domination versus complementary gender roles; binary versus spectral categorizing; land ownership versus land use; dogmatic versus nondogmatic belief systems; individualism versus collectivism; attitudes toward violence; the role of ancestors in the lives of living people; and viewing rock surfaces and rock imagery as static and inert or alive and ever-changing.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• (Re) Imagining Rock Art Research

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50883