Courage and Thoughtful Scholarship = Indigenous Archaeology Partnerships

FORUM COURAGE AND THOUGHTFUL SCHOLARSHIP = INDIGENOUS ARCHAEOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS Dale R. eroes Robert McGhee's recent lead-in American Antiquity article entitled Aboriginalism and Problems of Indigenous archaeology seems to emphasize the pitfalls that can occur in "indige nolls archaeology." Though the effort is l1ever easy, I would empha size an approach based on a 50/50 partnership between the archaeological scientist and the native people whose past we are attempting to study through our field alld research techniques. In northwestern North America, we have found this approach important in sharillg ownership of the scientist/tribal effort, and, equally important, in adding highly significant (scientif ically) cullUral knowledge ofTribal members through their ongoing cultural transmission-a concept basic to our explana tion in the field of archaeology and anthropology. Our work with ancient basketry and other wood and fiber artifacts from waterlogged Northwest Coast sites demonstrates millennia ofcultl/ral cOlltinuity, often including reg ionally distinctive, highly guarded cultural styles or techniques that tribal members continue to use. A 50/50 partnership means, and allows, joint ownership that can only expand the scientific description and the cultural explanation through an Indigenous archaeology approach. El artIculo reciente de Robert McGhee en la revista American Antiquity, titulado: Aborigenismo y los problemas de la Arque ologia Indigenista, pC/recen enfatizar las dificultades que pueden ocurrir en la "arqueologfa indigenista ". Aunque los esfuer zos nunca sonfdciles, enfatizare un enfoque basado en una sociedad 50/50 entre el cientifico arque61ogo y las comunidades indfgenas, Cl/yos antepasados tratamos de estudiarconlluestras tecnicas de investigaci6n y de campo. En el Noroeste Norteam ericano, resulta de importancia este enfoque de compartir la propiedad, por una parte, de los esfuerzos de la tribu y los cien tificos, y por Olra, igualmente importnate, al anadir conocimiento cultural de alta sigl1ificacia (cientifica) de miembros de la Tribu a traves de su continua transmisi6n cultural-un concepto bdsico ennuestra explicaci6n en el campo de la arqueologia y la antropologfa. Nuestro trabajo en cesterla antigua y otros artefactos de madera y fibm en sitios inundados de la Costa Norteamericana, demuestra milenios de continuidad cultural, muchas veces incluyendo estilos culturales distintivos y metic ulosamellte cuidadosos regionalmel1l, as! como tecllicas que los lI!iembros de la tl'ibu continuan usando. Una sociedad 50/50 signijica, y permite, co-propiedad que solamente expande la descripci6n cientifica y la explicacicln cultural a traves de un enfoque arqueol6gico indigenista. cGhee and I agree on one statement in context-the new "Indian problem") is derived his article Aboriginalism and the Prob from a misguided archaeological trend that con I M lems ofIndigenous Archaeology, which siders Native Peoples having a special, unique, and is the last one: "Something as important as the controlling role over science, in "owning" their human past deserves both courage and thoughtful past. Possibly this idea is a new backlash to the scholarship on the part of those who claim to make "New Archeology" teachings of the 1960s and it their study" (2008:595). His essay on the "prob 1970s, that oW' discipline of archeology was the lems" of Indigenous archaeology, using arguments exclusive owner of the past, and the only field that linked to concepts of "Aboriginalism," "Oliental could truly describe and explain the past McGhee's ism," "exceptionalism," "essentialism," "Noble own stereotyping of this "Indian problem" we sup Savages," "primitive mind," and "Noble Barbar posedly face presents a simplistic view of many ians," leads the reader to conclude that the prob archaeologists' efforts to work with over 500 North lem (probably better termed-in a historical American cultures whose heritage we explore: Dale R. Croes - Department of Anthropology, South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA 98512 and Department of AnthropOlogy, Washington State University, Pullman, WA ([email protected]) (websitcs: http://www.library.spscc.ctc.edu/crm/crm.htm, http://NewsWARP.info) American Antiquity 75(2), 2010, pp. 211-216 Copyright ©201O by the Society for American Archaeology 211 212 AMERICAN ANTIQUITY [Vol. 75, No.2, 2010] "Difficulties arise, however, when archaeologists My earlier work at the Ozette Village wet site accede to claims ofAboriginal exceptionalism and (45CA24), the Hoko River wet site (45CA240) and incorporate such assumptions into archaeological Hoko rock shelter (45CA21; Croes 1977, 1995, practice" (2008:580). He points out that he has 1999,2005) involved informal partnership agree "enjoyed the acquaintance of many Indigenous ments with the Makah Tribal Council, whose tra individuals-mainly Canadian First Peoples and ditional territory is on the northwest tip of the Inuit" (2008:580). Therefore, I am certain that he OlYrnpic Peninsula, Washington (Wakashan lan realizes that these Native Peoples come from very guage family). For example, at the Ozette Village different cultural backgrounds, and each has their wet site, where a whole section of an ancient Makah own cultural practices and belief systems, and village was tragically engulfed and preserved by a these, like the 500+ Indigenous cultures of North massive mudslide, we agreed that the human America, cannot be stereotyped as a whole- a remains found could be studied for scientific infor point he, in fact, warns us against. mation (Western science needs), but that these Let me describe what I believe has worked for human remains would never be shown or discussed us in the Northwest region of North America, which in the public media (Makah Tribal needs). In this I feel has followed McGhee's recommendations. instance, both sides couId and did reach their 50/50 Our work demonstrates courage in countering what objectives. In fact, the Tribe supported scientific he perceives as an academic threat from "aborigi study of the skeletal remains because they wanted nalism," and it provides thoughtful and increased to document the health and vigor of their ancestors scholarship through working with Tribes one on to better gauge their own return to native food ways, one. Since my WSU graduate school days of the including current efforts to return to whaling. 1970s, and throughout my current annual summer As another example, when I was a graduate stu field schools, I have engaged in archaeological dent studying ancient Ozette basketry, the Tribe work that we define as a 50/50 partnership with insisted that I needed to learn how to make Makah Tribes, in which both are equal partners in co basketry from their Elders in the K-12 Neah Bay managing the fieldwork and research. I have not school program. They could not perceive how I really practiced any other approach. McGhee points could possibly understand their ancient basketry out that, increasingly, archaeologists find that their without this cultural knowledge. I personally did permits or funding require that they do work with not believe I needed this training to do the scien Tribes, sometimes several Tribes, on whose tradi tific analysis of basketry. However, each side of the tional territories the sites are found. My own field partnership needed to be respected, so I took a work has included working with a number of semester of Makah basketweaving, involving a different Native cultures, each with very different daily hour with the elementary students and an hour cultural perspectives, values, and beliefs. with the High School students. I soon realized they The approach that has worked for us in each case were absolutely right-I probably learned more is establishing, as best possible, a truly equal 50/50 cultural knowledge through this training than any partnership. The parties must respect equally the other graduate school experience. I also learned Western scientific approach and the Tribes' cul how basketry is a culturally guarded tradition-I tural approach-both respecting and facilitating had to agree before the training that I would never each other's unique needs-without one sides' teach Makah basketry or sell what I learned to needs superceding the others. We are from very dif make. ferent cultures and also have very different objec These two of many Ozette project examples tives, so often this approach can be described as a show how a 50/50 partnership between WSU continual bumpy road-however, if the relationship Anthropologists and the Makah Tribal Council has is a true 50/50 partnership, the relationship can usu benefited both groups. This Makah partnership con ally be sustained, though it seems to always involve tinued after I finished my Ph.D., through 9 years some turmoil. And, as McGhee concludes, both of archaeological fieldwork at the Hoko River Site sides need to agree that "something as important Complex dating to 3000 years B .P. I describe some as the human [Tribe's] past deserves" the full coop of our joint efforts below (Croes 1995,2005). eration of both partners. Current and ongoing work with the Squaxin FORUM 213 Island Tribe of south Puget Sound (a Salish lan At first I thought this preservation might be distinct guage group) at their heritage wet site ofQwu ?gwes to Northwest wet site archaeology. Stephen Plog, involved a more formal coUaboration. In this case, the former editor American Antiquity, pointed out a formal Cooperative Agreement was signed by to me that this kind ofpreservation is seen in many the head of state of the Tribe, the Tribal Chair, and regions of North America. Sites with good preser our College President. This document outlined the vation of wood and fiber include waterlogged specific expectations of the partnership, and has preservation in FlO1ida and other Southeastern wet been renewed every two years since 2000 (Foster sites; arid and cave sites contain wood and fiber arti and Croes 2002, 2004; Foster et al. 2007). Many facts in the Plateau, Great Basin, and Southwest; of the articles resulting from this partnership can and frozen sites in Robert McGhee's area of con be found on the website: htlp:llwww.library.spscc.

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