Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeological Science

Abstract

The move towards public archaeology counsels archaeologists to work participatively, placing a high priority on educational and developmental activities with local communities in order to share the means of production of historical knowledge and promote the conservation of heritage. Describing key moments in an archaeological project which took these principles as starting points in an indigenous peoples' reserve in northern Brazil, the paper contends that public archaeology is comprised not of a series of goals and activities additional to the task of archaeology, but rather that public archaeology constitutes a wholly different approach to the generation of research questions and the production of knowledge. Examining assumptions about empowerment, consultation, heritage, historiography, strategic essentialism and ethics as they affected decisions in the field, the case study demonstrates that, while challenging, participatory research holds significant benefits for the production of knowledge.