The Intersection of Indigenous thought and archaeological practice: The field methods in Indigenous archaeology field school

ABSTRACT

In this essay we consider how thinking with and through Indigenous perspectives through the Field Methods in Indigenous Archaeology field school transforms archaeological practice, from the field into the classroom. The outcome of a community-based archaeological partnership between the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon’s Historic Preservation Office and researchers at the University of Washington, the field school is designed to build the capacity of not only the tribal nation, but also future archaeologists, to care for and protect tribal heritage. Outlining the process partners use to define an Indigenous and, specifically, Grand Ronde approach to archaeological practice and education, we assess the impact of this approach on undergraduate and graduate archaeology education. We argue that integrating Indigenous perspectives in archaeology education encourages a democratic and dialogic approach to field training that fosters students’ ability to fully engage in archaeological research.

KEYWORDS:

• Indigenous archaeology
• community-based archaeology
• field school
• pedagogy
• tribal historic preservation

Acknowledgements

First and foremost we also wish to thank the students of FMIA and, specifically, graduate student supervisors Dr. Ian Kretzler, Yoli Ngandali, Eve Dewan, Hollis Miller, and Lizzy Wessells for their contributions to the field course. This study received formal approval by the Grand Ronde Tribal Council and permission to publish this article has been granted following review by the Grand Ronde Historic Preservation Office. Members of that office have contributed significantly to the development of FMIA and the work described herein. All funding has been sought in collaboration with the Grand Ronde HPO. Additional operational and research support for the project has been provided by the Grand Ronde Historic Preservation Office.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Sara L. Gonzalez is an Associate Professor of Anthropology and Curator of Archaeology at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington. An archaeologist by training, she works at the intersection of tribal historic preservation, colonial studies, and public history. Her research specifically examines how community-based participatory approaches to research improve the empirical and interpretive quality of archaeological narratives and involves the creation of community-based research projects with tribal nations in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Briece Edwards is the Deputy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.

Notes

1 The HPO uses the term belonging(s) to refer to tangible cultural heritage instead of artefact(s) or cultural remain(s).

2 Tribal Canoe Journey is an annual canoe gathering that began in the Pacific Northwest in 1989. Indigenous nations from the west coast (Washington, Oregon, California, Brtitish Columbia) and from as far away as New Zealand participate in this several weeks-long event.

3 FMIA contracts with the Food and Nutrition Program to prepare all of its meals. The cost of staff and student meals are subsidized by a combination of grant funds and student activity fees. The project also purchases additional meals for HPO staff and community members who routinely drop in for dinner.

4 Cost of attendance at the field school varies. FMIA accepts both UW-enrolled students, who pay a total of $4090 for the 12-credit course, and students enrolled at other institutions, who pay for the cost of independent study credits at their home institution. All students also pay a $650–700 course activity fee that covers food and lodging for the duration of the 6-week course.

Additional information

Funding

Sara Gonzalez has received support for this project (FMIA) by the University of Washington’s Royalty Research Fund [eGC1 #101785] and the Nancy Weiss Malkiel Scholars Award (https://woodrow.org/fellowships/nwmscholars/), which is administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.