Indigenous Archaeology as Decolonizing Practice

Archaeological methods of analysis, research directions, and theoretical approaches have changed dramatically since the early days of the discipline, and today archaeological research topics relate to various aspects of cultural heritage, representation, and identity that overlap with fields such as ethnic studies, cultural anthropology, art and art history, heritage studies, history, and museums studies. In this article the author offers several examples of where work has been done and where it remains to be done toward decolonizing archaeology and bringing it more closely to its full potential as a socially just tool of knowledge (re)production. The aim has been to put forth a model that might be used as a stepping stone, not something that should be duplicated everywhere, but something that should be contemplated and further developed as archaeologists work in true collaboration with Indigenous, descendant, and local groups worldwide. Part of this effort will involve examination of the ways in which archaeologists and Indigenous peoples might work together to shape a shared future and an exploration of core issues that include the following: (1) Who benefits from archaeological research?; (2) Is the Western, scientific approach to archaeological theory and method necessarily the "best" way of interpreting the past?; (3) What are the practical ramifications of archaeological research for the Indigenous peoples, for whom the "artifacts" of archaeology are a living heritage? The author further argues that if archaeologists and Indigenous people are to be successful stewards of the archaeological record, everyone must begin to explore ways of moving beyond posturings that pit science against religion or polarize interests of Indigenous people against archaeologists, and the author advocates for a collaborative approach that blends the strengths of Western archaeological science with the knowledge and epistemologies of Indigenous peoples to create a set of theories and practices for an ethically informed study of the past, history, and heritage. (Contains 50 notes.)