In Conversation with the Ancestors: Indigenizing Archaeological Narratives at Acadia National Park, Maine

In North America, Indigenous pasts are publicly understood through narratives constructed by archaeologists who bring Western ideologies to bear on their inquiries. The resulting Eurocentric presentations of Indigenous pasts shape public perceptions of Indigenous peoples and influence Indigenous perceptions of self and of archaeology. In this paper we confront Eurocentric narratives of Indigenous pasts, specifically Wabanaki pasts, by centering an archaeological story on relationality between contemporary and past Indigenous peoples. We focus on legacy archaeological collections and eroding heritage sites in Acadia National Park, Maine. We present the “Red Paint People” myth as an example of how Indigenous pasts become distorted through archaeological narratives influenced by Western ideologies and offer a framework for indigenizing archaeological narratives constructed previously through Western lenses, using Indigenous language and community engagement to carry out the study

Wabanaki Resistance and Healing: An Exploration of the Contemporary Role of an Eighteenth Century Bounty Proclamation in an Indigenous Decolonization Process

The purpose of this paper is to examine the contemporary role of an eighteenth century bounty proclamation issued on the Penobscot Indians of Maine. We focus specifically on how the changing cultural context of the 1755 Spencer Phips Bounty Proclamation has transformed the document from serving as a tool for sanctioned violence to a tool of decolonization for the Indigenous peoples of Maine. We explore examples of the ways indigenous and non-indigenous people use the Phips Proclamation to illustrate past violence directed against Indigenous peoples. This exploration is enhanced with an analysis of the re-introduction of the Phips Proclamation using concepts of decolonization theory

POTTERS ON THE PENOBSCOT: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL CASE STUDY EXPLORING HUMAN AGENCY, IDENTITY, AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHOICE

Archaeology has a long history of dehumanizing the past by placing artifacts at the center of archaeological inquiry while neglecting human agency and the dynamic relationship between humans and their material culture. This is due, in part, to an over-reliance on normative approaches to archaeology such as typologies, culture histories, and artifact-centered research designs that disengage people from their technologies and erase them from archaeological interpretations of the past. This study humanizes past peoples by applying theories of agency, technological choice, and Indigenous archaeologies to an archaeological case study from Maine, U.S.A. With these theoretical principles as a framework, I evaluate a land-use model that suggests Native peoples in Maine organized themselves into distinct coastal and interior populations prior to European contact. By comparing potters’ choices along the ceramic production sequence, the study reveals spatial and temporal distinctions in pottery assemblages from the Penobscot River Valley in central Maine. These are interpreted as reflective of different contexts of ceramic production. Additionally, observations of potters’ choices through time show that changes in ceramic technology were not uniform throughout the Penobscot River valley and in some cases, ceramic recipes remained remarkably stable despite wide-spread changes in surface treatments or “decoration.” Finally, this study aligns with Indigenous archaeologies theory by empowering past potters in their material realm, thereby acknowledging their humanity

Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management

Historical ecology has revolutionized our understanding of fisheries and cultural landscapes, demonstrating the value of historical data for evaluating the past, present, and future of Earth’s ecosystems. Despite several important studies, Indigenous fisheries generally receive less attention from scholars and managers than the 17th–20th century capitalist commercial fisheries that decimated many keystone species, including oysters. We investigate Indigenous oyster harvest through time in North America and Australia, placing these data in the context of sea level histories and historical catch records. Indigenous oyster fisheries were pervasive across space and through time, persisting for 5000–10,000 years or more. Oysters were likely managed and sometimes “farmed,” and are woven into broader cultural, ritual, and social traditions. Effective stewardship of oyster reefs and other marine fisheries around the world must center Indigenous histories and include Indigenous community members to co-develop more inclusive, just, and successful strategies for restoration, harvest, and management