There is a long legacy of extractive and exploitative relationships in academic study of Indigenous California, seen clearly in the origins of the fields of anthropology, ethnography, & archaeology. These unethical relationships have resulted in colonial collections of Indigenous ancestral remains, funerary objects, songs and ceremonies, and Indigenous knowledge and wisdom, much which still has not been returned to Indigenous communities. This opening episode of Season 2 of Challenging Colonialism offers an overview of this history, helping shed light on why many Native Californians have understandable concerns about working with academics.

Speakers:

Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy (Hupa, Yurok, Karuk), The Honorable Ron W. Goode (Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe), Dr. Robin R. R. Gray (Ts’msyen/Cree), Cindi Alvitre (Tongva, co-founder of the Ti'at Society), Kanyon Sayers-Roods (Costanoan Ohlone-Mutsun and Chumash), Gregg Castro (t'rowt'raahl Salinan / Rumsien & Ramaytush Ohlone), Mark Hylkema, Maia Posten

Audio editing: Daniel Stonebloom

Interviews: Martin Rizzo-Martinez

Music: G. Gonzales

The title for this episode, Illicit Acquisitions, comes from our interview with Cindi Alvitre.

Links & Further Reading:

“Where Have All the Anthros Gone? The Shift in California Indian Studies from Research ‘on’ to Research ‘with, for, and by’ Indigenous Peoples” By Peter Nelson

“Archaeology and Social Justice in Native America” By Nicholas C. Laluk , Lindsay M. Montgomery, Rebecca Tsosie, Christine McCleave, Rose Miron, Stephanie Russo Carroll, Joseph Aguilar, Ashleigh Big Wolf Thompson, Peter Nelson, Jun Sunseri, Isabel Trujillo, Georgeann M. Deantoni, Gregg Castro, and Tsim Schneider

We Are Dancing for You: Native Feminisms and the Revitalization of Women’s Coming-of-Age Ceremonies By Cutcha Risling Baldy

Skull Wars: Kennewick Man, Archaeology, And The Battle For Native American Identity by David Hurst Thomas, Foreword by Vine Deloria Jr.

Bone Rooms: From Scientific Racism to Human Prehistory in Museums Samuel J. Redman

Supported by California State Parks Foundation