Tribal Historic Preservation Officers and Native American Perspectives on Archaeology in Connecticut

Описание: For this show, FOSA President Scott Brady was joined by Dan Forrest of the Public Archaeology Library (PAL), Marissa Turnbull, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) of the Mashantucket (Western) Pequot Tribal Nation, and James Quinn, THPO of the Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut. The discussion opened with how NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) has helped in the return of uncovered items to tribes and the protection of their rights.

The role of THPOs here will vary based on the tribe and their perspectives: Much Mohegan work is done off-reservation, while much Pequot work is on-reservation, and this results in differing approaches and interpretations, which may differ from those of non-Native archaeologists. It was noted, though, that all perspectives enhance our understanding of what went on here. Problems were also discussed, as many NAGPRA rules may be open to differing interpretation. The ultimate question, then, is: "Who Owns the Past?" and this complicates the process as there may be no clear answer.

Education is one way to help, and Brian Jones was able to work with children to impart the excitement and purpose attendant with archaeology; a major goal of THPOs is to do the same with the general public, to avoid insensitivity when it comes to respecting Native sacred places and to help when working with government bureaucracies ... and archaeologists such as Drs. Jones and Bellantoni can be of tremendous help here.

For information on THPOs, please visit https://www.nathpo.org/what-is-a-thpo/
For information on NAGPRA, please visit https://www.nps.gov/nagpra/

To learn more about FOSA, please visit our website - https://www.fosa-ct.org/