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Preface
- University of Arizona Press
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xi Preface Why This Book? Elements of Contemporary Archaeological Practice Inuvialuit Elder Victor Allen once said to me with his typical pragmatism, “We didn’t know that [everything] was gonna change. If we knew it was gonna change, we probably woulda been [more] prepared. But the change went, we went with the change, and what you gonna do?” (Lyons 2007:33). He was talking about the historical events of the twentieth century , which radically and irrevocably changed the lives of Western Arctic Indigenous peoples. Due to his inquisitive nature and practical approach to life, Victor himself was in many senses well-equipped both to deal with the more traditional land-based economy of the Inuvialuit and to advise his grandchildren on the technologies and educational directions that he saw as the way of the future. As he intimates, however, the continuing scope and pace of change could not have been anticipated by even the most forethinking observer. Archaeology, in both similar and very different ways, has undergone radical and irrevocable changes in the past century. Alfred Kidder, or even V. Gordon Childe, would scarcely recognize the archaeological practice inherited by young adepts today. The changes, as so carefully and insightfully observed by Bruce Trigger (1980, 1984, 1988, 2006, 2008), have been and continue to be encouraged by factors internal to the discipline and its growth, and by the wider social milieu in which it is practiced (and see Clarke 1979:85). Internally, archaeological method and theory are in a phase of rapid development, expanding as the very demographic base of archaeology diversifies from the grassroots level. Externally, as a result of colonial and androcentric critiques, a much broader base of public interest groups, such as African Americans, Indigenous peoples, and ethnocultural communities, is demanding a stake in archaeological heritage (e.g., Atalay 2006; Blakey 1997; Bond and Gilliam 1994; Gero and Conkey 1991; Little and Shackel 2007; Nicholas and Andrews 1997; Schmidt and Patterson 1995; Watkins 2000, 2003a). Having recognized the significance and import of claiming their own origin stories, these communities are actively pushing to influence or control archaeological work done in their regions and territories. xii PREFACE This book is about the recent and ongoing shifts in archaeological practice , both on a broad scale and particularly in the Canadian North. Its focus is twofold: first, it explores the question of how we develop sound research frameworks to do archaeology that are both inclusive and critically constructed ; second, it follows the path of a community-based archaeology program that I have been developing with the Inuvialuit community over the course of the last decade. Its genesis lies with my experiences working with and for Inuit and First Nations communities, including both the magic of doing something that felt meaningful and useful and the struggles to address and satisfy the needs and wants of different partners in project-based heritage research. Community-based research is now a common practice. In North America, consultation, and often greater levels of community involvement , is mandated by state, provincial, and territorial bodies. This does not mean it is always done well, but it does mean that it is a fixture in the academic , consulting, and governmental landscape, no matter the discipline. Among the social sciences, archaeology and archaeologists have been slow to let go of conventional research practices and to embrace the “working together ” gestalt, but many who have taken a step in this direction have seen its great rewards. The movement toward community-based archaeology over the past several decades, and the shift in power relations that has accompanied it, is significant for a number of reasons. I meet many young archaeologists and Indigenous peoples (note that these categories are not mutually exclusive) who are very taken with the new paradigms in archaeology. Equally, I interact with many faculty members who worry that, in the excitement of adopting new research strategies, this new cohort of scholars is not attending to the rigor and structure needed to conduct sound research. This book is partially intended to provide grounded guidance for the efforts of these various parties: scholars learning the ropes; community members wishing to conduct research in-house; and faculty members or consultants who may be assisting or overseeing these processes. In this effort, I take a critical and pragmatic look at the formation of research relationships; their nurturing and maintenance; the choices, contingencies, and compromises involved in collaborative research; and finally, the particular set of theories and methods developed in my own research...