Indigenous Heritage Futures: Caring for the Past in a Grand Ronde Way

In the language of self-determination, Indigenous archaeologies are expressions of the sovereignty of tribal nations to determine how tribal heritage will be cared for, now and into the future. U.S. Tribal Nations, however, encounter several challenges in articulating sovereignty-based approaches to archaeology and historic preservation. These include a lack of funding and, most significant, the difficulty of operating within a legal framework for heritage protection that was not designed to include the specific needs or interests of tribal nations. Using the case study of Field Methods in Indigenous Archaeology (FMIA) we evaluate how community-based research with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon contributes to a uniquely Grand Ronde way for practising archaeology.

Organized by the Indigenous/Science Research Cluster.