Teaching
Archaeology
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Unit 7
Indigenous Archaeologies
In this unit, students will learn about archaeology being conducted by, for, and with Indigenous peoples. They will read about ethical practices and viewpoints in Indigenous archaeologies that are reshaping the possibilities for collaborative work and the potential for archaeological projects to be driven by the needs of the communities it impacts.
Sapiens articles
Why the Myth of the “Savage Indian” Persists
Iconic children’s books and popular media that Gen Xers grew up with are riddled with damaging Native stereotypes—but things may finally be shifting.
Raising Up African Paleoanthropologists
Generations of scholars from around the world have converged to study human evolution in East Africa. Now a new training program seeks to bring more African students into the field.
Keywords
View All in Indigenous
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A line of cattle travel across a dry desert landscape, kicking up dust.]()
![A gnarled tree stands on a reddish cliff, beyond which stretches a landscape of deeply hued sandstone plateaus that an ox-bowed river cuts through.]()
![A whale’s tail appears above the water, creating white foam as it splashes on the ocean’s surface. A small bird flies in the background.]()
![An ancient circular stone structure lies exposed under the ground surface. In the distance, light-red and tan mesas and flat desert expanses lie under a piercing blue sky with scattered fluffy white clouds.]()
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
An Imagined Monograph for Nongqawuse
A 19th-century prophetess reportedly bore a serious message from the ancestors to her Xhosa people amid British colonial assault. The written archives judged her—but much still remains unknown and unacknowledged.
Gathering Firewood—and Redefining Land Stewardship—at Bears Ears
At Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, a new co-management plan brings together federal agencies and a consortium of Native American tribes—revealing deep tensions over land rights and demands for environmental justice.
Protecting Ancestral Waters Through Collaborative Stewardship
The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, along California’s Central Coast, would be the first of its kind in the U.S. to be nominated by Native peoples.
Digging Into an Ancient Apocalypse Controversy From a Hopi Perspective
When producers for a popular Netflix series sought a permit to film on public lands in the U.S. Southwest, many Native leaders objected. A Hopi tribal official, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, shares his views.
View All in Archaeology
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A U-shaped cove encircled by rugged peaks covered in green forest opens to an ocean in varying shades of blues that extends to the horizon where colossal white clouds sit.]()
![A large moose stands in the shallow waters of a lake at sunset, with the water reflecting vibrant golden and orange hues.]()
![The ruins of a gray stone building stand below a cerulean sky with fluffy white clouds.]()
![A bearded man in a vest and red scarf holds up his two hands in loose blue gloves, with a small tooth in each hand.]()
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
How and When Did Humans First Move Into the Pacific?
New archaeological research reveals insights into the first-known seafarers to brave ocean crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands more than 50,000 years ago.
Do Moose “Belong” in Colorado?
As moose populations multiply in the Southern Rocky Mountains, decision-makers are questioning whether the animals are endemic or invaders. Archaeology can offer answers—and potential solutions.
How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything.
Unraveling a “Ghost” Neanderthal Lineage
Remains in France found by archaeologists and geneticists suggest at least two lineages—not just one—of late Neanderthals in Europe.
View All in Colonialism
![A person dressed in a red Santa Claus suit with white trim kneels on a military runway while speaking into a handheld radio. In the background are two rows of large military airplanes.]()
![An image focuses on two hands of a statue in shadow coming together holding a white flower.]()
![People walk through a long, wide museum hallway with high arched ceilings and skylights framed by tall tan columns.]()
![A person wearing a dark blue shirt and a red umbrella hat walks through a lush field of tall green grasses.]()
![A line of cattle travel across a dry desert landscape, kicking up dust.]()
![The ruins of a gray stone building stand below a cerulean sky with fluffy white clouds.]()
Unwrapping Operation Christmas Drop
An anthropologist takes a critical eye to a long-running holiday tradition: a U.S. military mission that drops toys and supplies throughout Micronesia.
Survival Notes
Black African women in former colonial centers such as London gesture to subversive ways of communicating with those imprisoned in archives across generations.
Spain’s Move to Decolonize Its Museums Must Continue
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy.
It’s Time to Replace “Prehistory” With “Deep History”
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines.
An Imagined Monograph for Nongqawuse
A 19th-century prophetess reportedly bore a serious message from the ancestors to her Xhosa people amid British colonial assault. The written archives judged her—but much still remains unknown and unacknowledged.
How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything.
Professor Talking Points
- There is no one Indigenous archaeology but rather a plurality of approaches conducted by, for, and with Indigenous peoples.
- Explore the ways that Indigenous archaeologies challenge “traditional” processual archaeology in terms of topics, participatory methods, and commitments to using the field to advance justice, reconciliation, and healing.
- Consider how Indigenous archaeologies are a means of decolonizing scientific and heritage practices. What does “decolonization” (a process) mean and how does it differ from being “postcolonial” (a state)?
Academic Articles
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Acabado, Stephen, Marlon Martin, and Francisco Datar. 2017. “Ifugao Archaeology: Collaborative and Indigenous Archaeology in the Northern Philippines.” Advances in Archaeological Practice 5: 1–11.
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Atalay, Sonya. 2006. “Indigenous Archaeology as Decolonizing Practice.” American Indian Quarterly 30 (3 & 4): 280–310.
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Laluk, Nicholas C. 2020. “Changing How Archaeology Is Done in Native American Contexts: An Ndee (Apache) Case Study.” Journal of Social Archaeology 21 (1): 53–73.
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Two Bears, Davina. 2006. “Navajo Archaeologist Is Not an Oxymoron: A Tribal Archaeologist’s Experience.” American Indian Quarterly 30 (3 & 4): 381–387.
Student Discussion Questions
- What is the relationship between archaeology and colonialism?
- According to Acabado et al. (2017), what is the difference between seeing Indigenous peoples as contributors and viewing them as co-investigators or collaborators in archaeological research?
- What kinds of changes in ethics does Indigenous archaeology require?
- How do key viewpoints of Indigenous archaeology differ from older approaches?
- What kinds of changes might come about when more Indigenous people becoming trained archaeologists?
Activities
- Draw up a list of best practices for archaeologists working with Indigenous communities or on ancestral Indigenous lands based on the articles.
- Listen to an episode of season 4 of the SAPIENS podcast and take note of the general themes. Pick one and write a one-page response about how it relates to the content of the articles in this unit.
- Have each student pick a topic they would be interested in studying and have them explain how they would incorporate the principles of Indigenous archaeological practice into their proposal.
- Have students select a topic mentioned in the readings and create a theory map like the one featured below. Possible topics include: an introduction to archaeology terms, Indigenous archaeologies’ foundational principles, artifacts versus belongings, and how to do community-led archaeology.
Additional Resources
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Article: Smithsonian magazine’s “The Archaeologist Who Helped Mexico Find Glory in Its Indigenous Past”
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Podcast: SAPIENS Season 4 Black and Indigenous Archaeologies
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Statement: The Australian Indigenous Archaeologists Association
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Webinar: Wenner-Gren Foundation’s “Reclaiming the Ancestors: Indigenous and Black Perspectives on Repatriation, Human Rights, and Justice”
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Webinar: Wenner-Gren Foundation’s “‘For the Welfare of the Whole People’: Heritage Stewardship in Indigenous and Black Communities”
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Webinar: Wenner-Gren Foundation’s “Black and Indigenous Futures”
Unit By
Eshe Lewis (2021)
Teaching
Linguistic Anthropology
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Unit 1
Language and Identity
