In her lecture, Meg Wilkes, archaeologist, spoke on the importance of consultation in archaeology and archaeology’s interactions with tribal communities.
Meg Wilkes, archaeologist and coordinator of the National Park Service (NPS)’s Northeast Archaeological Resources Program (NARP), presented a lecture on inventory management and NARP’s archaeological projects. Hosted by the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology on October 15, the talk served as the second meeting of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society (MAS) Northeast Winter Chapter.
Wilkes opened the lecture by explaining the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA), a federal policy that requires archaeologists and law enforcement to better protect archaeological resources on public and tribal lands. She spoke on the policy’s dual purpose of teaching the public to appreciate archaeological resources while also protecting them from illegal activity.
“The second part of the ARPA is we need to increase public awareness of the archeological resources that we actually have in the parks so that they invest in and protect those resources. That’s part of our whole public education and engagement programming that we support with the parks. So we’re always in this dual world, [where] I can’t share [too much], but let’s do this great program and bring the public in,” said Wilkes.
In an interview with The Phillipian, Wilkes connected the importance of involving
Native people in archaeological research to combat Eurocentric approaches. She described how she seeks to engage all Indigenous communities in her projects.
“Across the nation, anyone who has lived here over time has a story to tell. But if it’s only this Western-trained thought process that’s telling the stories, and importantly, looking for the information, [we need] a more diverse group of population… We [also] engage descendant communities, so African-American communities, or Asian-American communities. We consult with tribal partners, all of the tribes with ancestral lands within Park Service properties,” Wilkes said.
Ryan Wheeler, Director of the Peabody, related the lecture to his encounter with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), a similar policy that encouraged museums and institutions to establish bonds with Native communities.
“I’ve been an archaeologist for a long time now. I went to graduate school [in] 1990, which was the year that the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act went into effect. That required institutions like [the Peabody] to inventory their holdings and contact Indigenous communities… Going into the profession 34 years ago, I was [asking], ‘What will this law really mean for this field that I am now joining?’” said Wheeler.
Emphasizing the importance of consultation in archaeology, Wheeler detailed prominent interactions between archaeologists and tribal communities. He noted the gradual increase in consulting Indigenous people in archaeological projects throughout his career.
“There aren’t any examples of archaeology today that don’t involve tribal communities. Each of these examples that Dr. Wilkes had for these parks all had consultation. In some cases, they had tribal members who were participating in the projects. When I became an archaeologist and went to graduate school, that was unheard of. That did not happen. Tribal folks and archaeologists were not talking anymore, they didn’t do projects together. Archaeologists didn’t ask tribes generally what they thought about projects that they were doing… it’s amazing to have been part of this field in that transitional period,” said Wheeler.
Wilkes considered how archaeology can empower people to discover and recognize the history of Native land occupation. She hopes that the public can utilize technology to not only invest in archaeological projects, but to also understand the histories of tribal and descendant communities.
“We have such a rich history of occupation [of] people who lived in North America in our lands, and there’s a lot of really interesting history out there. There’s also a lot of very difficult history out there. We need to work… with everyone that we can [who has] vested interest in the areas and lands that we’re working in, with our tribal communities and other people who have lived and impacted those landscapes. [Also, we need] to work really hard to understand each other and work together to recognize the history of occupation in our country,” said Wilkes.
