{"id":5761,"date":"2025-03-23T01:22:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T01:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/?page_id=5761"},"modified":"2025-06-08T00:42:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-08T00:42:18","slug":"braiding-weaving-and-plaiting-indigenous-knowledges-and-western-sciences","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/braiding-weaving-and-plaiting-indigenous-knowledges-and-western-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"Braiding, Weaving and Plaiting Indigenous Knowledges and Western Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Format: Panel presentations with discussion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Convenors:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claire Smith, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, claire.smith@flnders.edu.au<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tsim Schneider, Dept of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This session draws attention to the increasing recognition of the benefits of combining Indigenous and Western knowledges. We seek cross-disciplinary presentations on the challenges and benefits of braiding, weaving and plaiting Indigenous knowledges and Western scientific approaches. The aim is not only to showcase successful collaborations but also to identify challenges involved in this process, and the many different methods and approaches that are undertaken across the globe. We invite case studies led by either Indigenous or non-Indigenous researchers who are working in this space. By encouraging collaboration between these knowledge systems, this session will demonstrate the value of using archaeology and cultural heritage to create more holistic, culturally informed, and sustainable solutions to the complex challenges faced by societies worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Papers:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Roll the Rs in Warratyi: An Update on the Braided Research at South Australia\u2019s Oldest Archaeological Site<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cate Sexton<\/em> and<\/em> Gavin Prideaux, Flinders University, Australia<\/em>
Claire Smith, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia<\/em>
Clifford Coulthard<\/em> and<\/em> Terrance Coulthard, Iga Warta, Adnyamathanha Yarta, Australia<\/em>
Giles Hamm, Flinders University, Australia<\/em>
Aaron Camens, Flinders University, Australia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once-elusive aspects about social complexity, mobility and Pleistocene ecology are clarified as archaeology adopts methods from other disciplines. Warratyi rock shelter (Adnyamathanha Yarta, South Australia) contains an array of organic and inorganic artefacts (i.e., faunal remains, charcoal, ochre, lithics). It shows early, continual human occupation in southern Australia\u2019s semi-arid region c. 49\u221210 ka. Here, we investigate the site\u2019s faunal remains with a braided knowledge approach, where research priorities, methods, and outcomes are co-designed by Adnyamathanha Traditional Owners and university researchers. From taxonomic assessments, kangaroo and wallaby species dominate (>56%) the accumulation. Increased faunal diversity c. 30\u221225 ka may indicate altered group mobility and\/or shelter use by birds of prey. These results are complemented by an interrogation of biting and digestion marks, and spectral analyses of burnt remains. Pilot spectral studies indicate that some bones were heated in conditions consistent with space-clearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clay, Connections, and Community: Exploring Wabanaki Ceramics from the Lab to the Land<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonnie Newsom, University of Maine, Anthropology Dept and Climate Change Institute; Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledge and Science, USA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper presents an integrated approach to studying pre-colonial Wabanaki ceramics through archaeological analysis and community-based learning. Drawing on a research project focused on potters’ agency and technological choices in ceramic assemblages from the Kennebec and Penobscot River valleys, this study attempts to challenge Eurocentric interpretations of Indigenous socio-spatial boundaries in Maine. Analysis of ceramic attributes such as temper, surface treatment, and morphology, supplemented by residue analysis and radiocarbon dating, seeks to connect material culture to deeper Indigenous social and cultural contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integral to this research are community-based initiatives connecting Wabanaki people to traditional pottery making techniques. Activities draw from ceramic attribute analyses and include clay cleaning, temper preparation, exploration of ceramic surface treatments, and coil construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By linking archaeological ceramics inquiry with active community participation, this paper highlights a model for heritage reclamation and Ancestor appreciation. It underscores the critical role of Indigenous voices and choices in heritage research and the power of community agency in ensuring the vitality of cultural traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancestral Relationships with Marine Mammals and Identifying Species Utilised by Iwi M\u0101ori Using the Collagen Peptide Mass Fingerprinting Technique ZooMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophie White, University of Otago, New Zealand<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many coastal peoples share deep connections with whales, dolphins and seals, and for M\u0101ori marine mammal bone is an integral and significant resource in Southern Ocean islands context. Comprehensive species knowledge is a formative part of indigenous environmental understanding, and revitalising relationships with species and ancestral lifeways is of high priority for many communities, driving combinations of traditional knowledges and environmental sciences to enhance and support lands and waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taxonomic identification of marine mammal species from worked bone is difficult, especially as morphologically unidentifiable fragmentary pieces. Methods of identification can be prohibitively expensive, and some methods require destructive sampling, which is unapplicable for many taonga cultural items and remains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By adapting non-destructive ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) collagen sampling techniques and kaupapa M\u0101ori methodologies opportunities open to explore relationships with species and their resources. This project seeks to support iwi M\u0101ori interests in restoring marine mammal species knowledge, revitalising harvesting, processing and making of traditional resources, and utilising culturally appropriate and accessible analytical techniques to support Indigenous led research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community Driven Cultural Heritage Management on Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Country<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jordan Ralph, Terry Drage, Burchell Hayes, Jessica Laurier, Denis Coutant, PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, Australia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Country is in the resource rich region of the Pilbara on the western edge of the Hamersley Ranges in northwestern Australia. For decades the PKKP people have been undertaking statutory heritage surveys and approvals for mining companies where the entire methodology from start to finish was determined without input from the Aboriginal community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The PKKP community has worked hard in recent years to determine the trajectory of their future by taking control of how their past is managed. This paper presents two case studies of deep collaboration between members of an Indigenous Australian community; staff of the Aboriginal Corporation which represents them; and archaeologists who undertake CHM work on their behalf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancestral Codes in Broken Threads: Weaving Archaeology into Indigenous Resurgence in Uruguay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria Bonilla-Baez, University of Sydney, Sydney Indigenous Research Network; Sydney Environment Institute; Association of Iberian Latin American Studies of Australasia; Australian Anthropological Society<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the few publicly claiming their Indigenous identity within Uruguay\u2019s academic space, I stand in a position both fraught and full of possibility. Academia in Uruguay has long served as a tool of silencing\u2014declaring Indigenous peoples extinct, erasing Afro-descendant histories, and invisibilising the ancestral threads that shape our nation. Yet I remain in this space because I believe it can also become a tool for healing and reclamation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My thesis, Desnudando Uruguay, explores the entanglements of memory, territory, and the silenced Afro-Indigenous identities woven into our national fabric. Where these stories reside, there are knots\u2014tangles born from violence, survival, and silence. I argue that archaeology, despite its colonial roots, holds powerful potential as a method of repair. Our land holds memory. It speaks to us. But it also contains material culture\u2014ceramics, pigments, seeds, rock paintings, burial mounds\u2014that Western science can help us interpret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This paper explores how archaeology can serve as a bridge between ancestral codes and contemporary communities. Through collaborative work, we can return knowledge to elders whose memories remain vivid, though fragmented. This is not integration\u2014it is weaving: a braiding of memory, science, and land in the service of cultural resurgence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weaving aDNA and Ainu Knowledge: Reconstructing Ancestral Fisheries Through Indigenous-Led Research in Hokkaido<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuka Shichiza, Archaeology Dept, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada<\/em>
Raporo Ainu Nation, Town of Urahoro, Hokkaido, Japan<\/em>
Makoto Mochida, Historical Museum of Urahoro, Urahoro Town, Hokkaido, Japan<\/em>
George Nicholas, Archaeology Dept, Simon Fraser University; Centre for Ainu and Indigenous Studies, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan; Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient DNA (aDNA) research is increasingly being used by both scientists and Indigenous communities to explore past human-environment relationships. When shaped by community priorities, aDNA research can yield quantitative data that align with and enhance the qualitative understandings embedded in traditional ecological knowledge. These historical ecological perspectives can support culturally grounded, community-led resource management. In Hokkaido, northern Japan, the Raporo Ainu Nation is seeking to restore Indigenous rights in natural resource governance, particularly fisheries. In partnership with the Raporo Ainu Nation, we apply aDNA techniques to archaeological fish remains to help reconstruct ancestral fishing practices. This Indigenous-led project was developed through sustained consultation to ensure community concerns and aspirations shape the research process. Our findings identified significantly more fish species than possible through morphology alone, offering new insights into past fishing grounds, seasonality, and human-environment interactions. A key aim is for this work to support future stewardship strategies that reflect Ainu values and knowledge systems. This presentation introduces one of the first biomolecular archaeological studies conducted in direct collaboration with Ainu communities, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of weaving Indigenous knowledge with Western scientific approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Impact of Indigenous Community-directed Practice on More Equitable Approaches to Citizen Science in Recording Cultural Landscapes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hannah Gibbs, University College London, UK<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indigenous Peoples\u2014while not monolithic\u2014have close relationships with local environments. Cultural landscapes\u2014continuous regional\/trans-regional areas that bring together cultural, spiritual, and archaeological values in environments with common heritage\u2014are core components of culture, identity, and well-being. WEIRD\u2014Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic\u2014recording practice is rooted in historically close relationships between archaeology, scientific imperialism, and colonial perceptions of territory. Although Indigenous archaeology advocates for \u201cIndigenised\u201d strategies, institutional structures continue to be inherently hostile towards Indigenous Knowledge. Similarly, Citizen Science approaches deployed to meet growing expectations that archaeologists integrate Indigenous epistemologies, fail to address that many Citizen Science projects are extractive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extreme Citizen Science\u2014bottom-up transdisciplinary practice supporting groups of any cultural or literate background to record data on environmental issues\u2014can successfully represent local cultural, spiritual, and environmental values. However, there is growing recognition by Indigenous communities of the need to control geospatial information relating to their cultural spaces. Regulating data is key; unregulated data can become an open source of culturally significant information otherwise unavailable to outsiders. Anticolonial theories and methodologies promote ways researchers from outside the community can support this. Indigenous community-directed approaches to recording cultural landscapes can therefore mobilise the \u201cthird space\u201d produced by interfacing Indigenous and WEIRD knowledges in meaningful and equitable collaboration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Format: Panel presentations with discussion Convenors:  Claire Smith, Archaeology, Flinders University, Australia, claire.smith@flnders.edu.au Tsim Schneider, Dept of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, USA This session draws attention to the increasing recognition of the benefits of combining Indigenous and Western knowledges. We seek cross-disciplinary presentations on the challenges and benefits of braiding, weaving and plaiting Indigenous knowledges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1157,"featured_media":275,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-5761","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"pmpro-has-access","7":"czr-hentry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1157"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5761"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8826,"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5761\/revisions\/8826"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldarchaeologicalcongress.com\/wac10\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}