An Open Letter to Members of the Society for American Archaeology
On October 1-4, 2008, twelve archaeologists of diverse backgrounds, interests, and ages, met at the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institution at Indiana University-Bloomington (IUB), to revisit the Society of American Archaeology (SAA) Principles of Ethics and their implications for archaeological practice. The gathering was funded by IUB’s New Frontiers Program, First Nations Educational and Cultural Center, and the Office of Multi-cultural Initiatives. Originally inspired by concerns of Native American archaeologists, our discussion highlighted the need for improving collaborative practice throughout our profession. We start from the position that collaborative practice underpins high-quality archaeology. We took the opportunity to review the Principles themselves, to think about possible changes or expansions, and to develop new tools for archaeologists to improve interactions with many affected groups, particularly Native American and Indigenous communities.
Please read the open letter, which urges your consideration of ways for archaeologists more ethically to collaborate with Indigenous and other communities. On this web site you will find a variety of tools to assist you, from links to ethics codes of other organizations that more explicitly discuss archaeological ethics toward descendent communities to opinions from fellow archaeologists. We urge you to offer your own opinions about these ethical concerns.
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Sonya Atalay, Indiana University Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh, Denver Museum of Nature & Science Ed Jolie, University of New Mexico Paula Lazrus, St. John’s University Janet Levy, University of North Carolina, Charlotte Dorothy Lippert, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
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Dru McGill, Indiana University Mark Oxley, University of New Mexico Anne Pyburn, Indiana University Nick Shepherd, University of Cape Town Alison Wylie, University of Washington Larry J. Zimmerman, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis/Eiteljorg Museum
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Disclaimer
The letter above and this web site are not affiliated with the Society for American Archaeology, although most involved in this project are SAA members. The site is maintained and funded by this group. Contact webmaster@archaeology-ce.info as needed. To see more work from David Moses Bridges, visit his web site at http://www.davidmosesbridges.com/main.html.