Repatriation of archival materials holds great potential for decolonizing archaeological archives. This paper argues that while repatriation of human remains and cultural objects is required by law under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), traditional manuscript archives can and should be subject to the same…

Since the granting of Native American materials -- excavated in archaeological projects sponsored by federal and state governments across the United States in the 20th century -- to public repositories, museum professionals have sought to manage such collections with care. At the University of Missouri, students responding to the local mandate of…

Contrary to stereotypes of proto-Athapaskan culture as simplistic and archaic, evidence points to a sophisticated web of late prehistoric Asian-Athapaskan interactions. A holistic assessment of Athapaskan migrations in the context of the transpacific Dene-Yeneseian phylum (the largest, fastest pedestrian language spread on earth) sees…

Peru's prehistory, climate, and terrain are the landscape upon which one of humankind's longest migrations occurred. When the glacial period ended, a geographic and cultural transition began when the meltwaters carved river valleys across the South American continent. Culture-rich communities of fishers, miners, artisans, and morticians populated…

Geography Action Week 2000 was fast approaching and the author was trying to decide on a way for her fourth grade class to actively participate in the theme for the year. The theme "Here Today--Here Tomorrow: A Geographic Focus on Conservation" centered on sustainable use, preservation, and restoration of our natural and cultural…

In this article the authors revisit the earlier studies of the role and importance of elders and pursue various lines of evidence--biological, archaeological, and cross-cultural/ethnographic--to build the fundamental argument that elders and the knowledge they have acquired from their ancestors, through social learning, have played a key role in…

Petroglyphs can help students confront the challenges of cross-cultural interpretation, the "perilous venture" the author and his students will face in their Native American Literature course. Cultural artifacts, carved in rock or printed on paper, are a part of particular discursive systems. In this article, the author wants his…

It is reported that the New York State Indians, descendants of Asiatic immigrants, participated in leading cultural episodes of the eastern United States. Since their remains illustrate processes of cultural growth, the New York prehistoric cultures are described in terms of archaeological findings under 3 major stages of development: the…

The practice of archaeology includes of a series of events in which a group of objects is transformed from their initial identities as household goods, religious objects, or detritus of everyday life into artifacts, or as the 1906 Antiquities Act describes them, "objects of antiquity." Frequently, artifacts are further re-identified as part of a…

Uses archaeological evidence to trace the history of the Pueblo ancestors in the Southwest's Four Corners region as they evolved from nomadic hunters and gatherers into farmers, and later, were forced by drought, famine, and war to build defensive strongholds on remote cliffs. Contains photographs and paintings. (SV)

Many Navajos, or Dines, and Native American people in general, are archaeologists or are becoming archaeologists. The distinction between "Native Americans" and "archaeologists" in academia, or elsewhere, is no longer accurate. This fact should not come as such a surprise. As the epigraph, a quote by Richard Begay,…

As first voiced by activists in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s and then sustained by other Native American leaders throughout the rest of the twentieth century, many Native American communities object to archaeological excavations and the wanton destruction of their traditional cultural places. In this article, the author discusses…

The primary focus of this booklet is the use of anthropology in archaeology and the history of American Indians and their culture in Pennsylvania. Explanations are given for: (1) anthropology; (2) the purpose of archaeology; (3) archaeological interpretations and patterns of culture; (4) types of societies (bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states);…

Describes archaeological research in the United States. Reconstructs history of Paleo-Indian migrations, discussing archaeological evidence and opposing views regarding specific dates. Reveals cultural details gathered from specific studies at Meadowcroft (Pennsylvania) and Thunderbird (Virginia). (CS)

Provides an overview of the issues surrounding enactment of a Nebraska statute requiring public museums to repatriate American Indian skeletal remains and burial offerings to tribes for reburial. Focuses on the bitter dispute between the Nebraska State Historical Society and the Pawnee Tribe of Oklahoma (an indigenous Nebraska tribe). (SV)