Disturbing but unsurprising to hear members of the SCOTUS in the #ICWA case arguing that Indigenous peoples were violent and therefore couldn't care for our children. Let's unpack this idea - a thread 🧵 The myth that Indigenous people were *more* violent that other people has been around for a long time. It was used as a justification for imperialism and colonialism by Europeans.

The rise of pieces "debunking" the findings of the possible locations of unmarked graves of missing children who died at residential schools is deeply concerning. Framing these as "debunking" is harmful. Here's why. A🧵 The initial media response to the findings from Kamloops did contain misleading information. Part of this was a lack of knowledge about how ground-penetrating radar works. Part of this was about terminology.

The responses to the paper, subsequent media articles, and discussions here on Twitter have brought to light some important reflects on archaeology, Indigenous people, and how we understand human history. A thread 🧵

https://twitter.com/JenniferRaff/status/1441130536433438721

First, many media outlets are framing this as *the* site that will push back archaeological understandings of the history of people in the Americas. This is just not true; many sites over the years have pointed to earlier occupations.

CW/TW residential school children
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In light of the false reports circulating on social media about 1100 children found at Blue Quills, a thread about numbers and graves associated with residential schools from someone on the ground doing this work.
#residentialschools There have been images circulating with larger and larger counts. Most communities are just beginning the journey to search around their schools and are taking time to engage with the survivors, Elders, and families to discuss how to proceed. This is a necessary step.

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…

So this recent piece on whiteness and archaeology is stirring up some much needed discussion about why most archaeologists being white matters (a thread).

https://twitter.com/SAPIENS_org/status/1280824804585746432

First, I must position myself. I am a white-coded Métis woman. I benefit from white privilege and I am a tenured professor of archaeology, another position of privilege. My privilege means I am heard ways my #BIPOC colleagues are not.