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Working Internationally with Indigenous Groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Joe Watkins
Joe Watkins*
Affiliation:
National Park Service, Washington, D.C. (jwatkins@theaceconsultants.com)
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Abstract

North American archaeologists working with Native American or First Nations communities, whose culture often forms the basis of the archaeological record, are becoming increasingly aware that they face a differing set of concerns and issues than those archaeologists who work with non-Native communities. Although their work is not as widely reported in the literature, North American archaeologists who have been fortunate enough to conduct research with Indigenous communities in other parts of the world are often overwhelmed by the variety of issues that may crop up. They often find that their experiences highlight the challenges but also the fulfillment involved in working with Indigenous groups. In the following paper, I offer suggestions based on practices that helped to alleviate issues I faced when working internationally. By broadening the discourse concerning working with Indigenous groups, I hope that these suggestions may also prove relevant to improving the practice of archaeology in North America as well.

Los arqueólogos norteamericanos que trabajan con comunidades nativas de América (también llamadas Primeras Naciones), cuya cultura a menudo constituye la base del registro arqueológico, son cada vez más conscientes de que se enfrentan a un conjunto de preocupaciones y asuntos diferente del que enfrentan los arqueólogos que trabajan con comunidades no indígenas. Los arqueólogos norteamericanos que han tenido la suerte de realizar investigaciones con comunidades indígenas en otras partes del mundo frecuentemente están abrumados por la variedad de asuntos que pueden surgir; sin embargo, esto no ha sido reportado tan ampliamente en la literatura. A menudo encuentran que sus experiencias ponen de relieve los desafíos y los logros implicados en el trabajo con grupos indígenas. En el siguiente artículo ofrezco sugerencias basadas en prácticas que ayudaron a aliviar los problemas que enfrenté en trabajos de este tipo a nivel internacional. Al ampliar el discurso relacionado con el trabajo con grupos indígenas espero que estas sugerencias también puedan resultar relevantes para mejorar la práctica de la arqueología en Norte América.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , November 2014 , pp. 366 - 374
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2014

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