Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Native Peoples and Archaeology in the Northeastern United States

15. Case Studies in Collaborative Archaeology: The Oneida Indian Nation of New York and Colgate University

. Case Studies in Collaborative Archaeology The Oneida Indian Nation of New York and Colgate University ?DG96C : @:G7:G ith the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (nagpra) in 1990 and the 1992 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, an increasing number of situations and projects across the United States have arisen in which archaeologists and American Indians have collaborated in the mutual pursuit of learning about the past. Several of these instances are well documented in Dongoske et al. (2000), Ferguson (1996), Klesert and Downer (1990), Swidler et al. (1997), Watkins (2000a), and now this volume . Indeed the majority of Native American–archaeologist cooperative ventures are mandated by these two federal laws, which require, among several things, consultation with federally recognized Native American groups and tribal historic preservation officers in specific circumstances. There are other instances, however, that are not legislated. This article discusses two case studies in collaborative archaeology between the Oneida Indian Nation1 and nearby Colgate University in central New York State. The first involves a summer workshop in archaeology for Oneida youth, and the second concerns the repatriation and curation of Oneida archaeological remains in Colgate’s Longyear Museum of Anthropology. The former is the focus of the chapter, while the latter is discussed briefly. W  Figure 15.1. New York State map, showing the location of Colgate University and the Sterling, Dungey, and Wilson sites. Jordan E. Kerber  Summer Workshop in Archaeology Between 1995 and 2003, Colgate University, located in Hamilton, New York, has offered an annual workshop in archaeology to members of the Oneida Indian Nation (Figure 15.1). Held each summer for two weeks, the program has been directed by the author with assistance from several Colgate students and recent alumni, as well as other individuals. So far, more than 100 Oneida teenagers have participated in nine offerings of the workshop and have gained direct archaeological and laboratory experience in learning about their ancestors and other Native Americans who once occupied central New York. The three primary goals of the workshop are (1) to strengthen the relationship between Colgate University and the Oneida Indian Nation by bringing together members of both communities in important educational experiences, (2) to provide a hands-on opportunity in archaeology for Oneida youth that involves the limited excavation and laboratory processing of prehistoric and historic nonhuman remains from nonsacred Native sites in the region, and (3) to identify, manage, and protect significant archaeological resources located in central New York. The idea for the archaeological workshop developed in 1992 when I was director of the Native American Studies Program at Colgate. At that time, faculty in the program drafted a grant proposal for a three-year project to improve community relations between the university and neighboring Native American groups. One of the proposal’s initiatives was a summer workshop in archaeology that I envisioned for Iroquois youth living in the vicinity of the campus. Although I had no experience working with American Indians in this manner, I am strongly committed to public education in archaeology and had successfully directed previous archaeological workshops for a lay audience in Rhode Island (see Kerber 1997). In 1994 the John Ben Snow Foundation awarded a matching grant to fund the summer workshop from 1995 until 1997. The university provided the match, which was viewed as “seed money” to help start this innovative project. I selected the Oneida Indian Nation, a small but growing Native American community of just over 1,000 members, as the particular audience for this workshop because of its geographical proximity to the Colgate cam- Case Studies in Collaborative Archaeology  pus. Simply put, there is no other Native American group living closer to the university. In the process of writing the grant proposal, I called a few members and employees of the Oneida Indian Nation with whom I had previously developed an informal relationship to discuss the possibility of my offering an archaeological workshop to nation members. After receiving a favorable response, it was suggested by the Oneida Indian Nation that participants in the nation’s Youth Work/Learn Program be the target group for the workshop if funding were obtained. The Youth Work/Learn Program employs Oneida Indian Nation teenagers in various summer projects, including landscaping and working in nation facilities and offices. The emphasis of the program on the nation’s young members seemed appropriate...