Thread by @ArchaeoMapper

Considering how much engagement this has gotten, I thought I'd discuss the main areas of pushback I get when I bring this up. 1) Who is Indigenous/a descendant? 2) But what about the science? and 3) Archaeology belongs to everyone! My responses - a thread

https://twitter.com/ArchaeoMapper/status/1380320995253219331

First, there are global definitions of Indigenous peoples, so I won't repeat them here. Indigenous peoples have rights, as outlined in UNDRIP un.org/development/de…

Related, I hear archaeologists say "but how do we know that Indigenous people today are descended from the people who were there before?" First, how do you reckon descent? Genetics? Material culture? These are not Indigenous ways of understanding relations.

Even if there is widely accepted stories of migration, Indigenous peoples have relations to land that include the belongings of ancestors. This includes caring for the land that holds ancient materials.

This argument is not used in other contexts either. Britain has a long history of many different groups coming, but other archaeologists don't question Britain's right to make decisions about heritage uncovered in in Britain.

In addition, even if the Indigenous ppl who live in the area today are not direct descendants, I can guarantee you they are more closely related (by any reckoning) than the non-Indigenous archaeologists. So why is the default that non-Indigenous peoples can make decisions?

In response to 2) the science, what I actually said in the original post was that Indigenous peoples have the right to make decisions. This can include scientific analysis of ancestors, belongings, and sites. There are many examples of this: routledge.com/Working-with-a…

Science is also one way of knowing the world. It is a powerful method, but not the only valid one. If you believe science = truth and every other way of knowing is just a lie, then you support a particular ideology tied up in settler colonialism.

Finally, this idea that heritage, including archaeology, should be protected for the good of all, I ask you this: who decided that heritage should belong to everyone? Was it Indigenous and other colonized people who made this decision?

Did the people of Benin agree that their bronzes should be taken from them and spread around the world? Did Indigenous peoples or enslaved Africans agree that their bodies be put in museums? Did Indigenous people decide that their sites be controlled by colonial institutions?

Fundamentally, this conversation is not about the right way to know the past, or science versus Indigenous people - it is about systems of power and how they impact who makes decisions about heritage and what constitutes knowledge. It is about Indigenous rights and sovereignty.