Changing how archaeology is done in Native American contexts: An Ndee (Apache) case study

Abstract

The White Mountain Apache Tribe Cultural Heritage Resource Best Management Practices (WMATCHRBMPs) present and delineate in guideline form cultural heritage resource definitions, management, and necessary steps before, during, and after project implementation for any ground-disturbing projects potentially adversely affecting cultural heritage resources on Ndee (Apache) trust lands. However, since the tribe’s adoption of the practices, the application of Ndee tenets found within the guidelines to real-world cultural and archaeological methods and practices remains scant. Embedded in the Ndee cultural tenets is the tenet of “respect,” which I will argue can be used as a tool by non-Ndee researchers to critically reflect on their own research agendas and to guide research projects with Ndee communities. By foregrounding respect within various ongoing archaeological project-related occurrences, contemporary Ndee experiences, defining Ndee material trait lists, superiority statements, archaeological categorizations, and stereotypical underpinnings, better paths forward for collaborative research with Ndee and other Native American communities can be highlighted.