Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School

Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School Edited by Sarah E. Cowie, Diane L. Teeman, and Christopher C. LeBlanc

"Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School represents the epitome of thoughtful, community-engaged, culturally sensitive, and rigorous archaeological research, and it breaks new ground in terms of advocating for - and adhering to - a collaborative ethic from day one to publication and at all steps in between." -Tsim Schneider, assistant professor of anthropology, Univeersity of California, Santa Cruz

"This work documents the collaborative approach to doing archaeology at the Stewart Indian School near Carson City, Nevada. The research benefited from true collaboration between archaeologists, tribal members, and former students of the school." - Joe Watkins, president of the Society for American Archaeology (2019-2021) and senior consultant at Archaeological and Cultural Education Consultants

Winner of the 2019 Mark E. Mack Community Engagement Award from the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Collaborative archaeology, the collaborative archaeology project at the former Stewart Indian School documents the archaeology and hsitory of a heritage project at aboarding school for American Indian children in the Western United States. In Collaborative Archaeology at Stewart Indian School, the team's collective efforts shed light on the children's education, foodways, entertainment, health, and resilience in the face of the U.S. government's attempt to forcibly assimilate Native populations at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as school life in later years after reforms. 

This edited volume addresses the theory, methods, and outcomes of collaborative archaeology conducted at the Stewart Indian School site and is a genune collective effort between archaeology conducted at the Stewart Indian School site and is a genuine collective effort between archaeologists, former students of the school, and other tribal members. With more than twenty contributing authors from the University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada Indian Commission, Washoe Tribal historic Preservation Ofice, and members of the Washoe, Paiute, and Shoeshone tribes, this rich case study is strongly influenced by previous work in collaborative and indigenous archaeologies. It elaborates on those efforts by applying concepts of governmentality (legal instruments and practices that constrain and enable decisions, in this case, regarding the management of historical populations and modern heritage resouces) as well as social captial (valued relaions with others, in this case, between Native and non-Native stakeholders). 

As told through the trials, errors, shared experiences, sobering memories, and stunning accomplishments of a group of students, archaeologists, and tribal members, this rare gem humanizes archaeological method and theory and bolsters collaborative archaeological research.

Format: Hardcover with protective sleeve

Page Count: 298