Sharing Collections and Sharing Stories

Nikki S Mills

doi:10.1017/aap.2021.42

Abstract

AbstractAs archaeology has evolved, partnerships between private collectors and archaeologists have ebbed and flowed. This article contributes to a growing body of work dedicated to recognizing the contributions of the collecting community, with a focus on maintaining reciprocal models for long-term collaborations. This research article argues that for these collaborative efforts to progress, archaeologists must operate through an archaeological ethnographic lens that fosters work in partnership and generative dialogues. Utilizing ethics from the Society for American Archaeology's “Statement on Responsible and Responsive Stewards of the Past” (Society for American Archaeology 2018), an undergraduate student and private collector partnered to retroactively document an artifact collection collected over 60 years in Colorado's San Luis Valley. This article is distinct, however, in that it centers the research methods, offering a pragmatic example of utilizing an archaeological ethnographic framework alongside collaborative inquiry and oral history methodologies. The partnership cultivated within the research team opened a new line of inquiry into the collector's past collaborations with professionals, revealing a variety of informative and illuminating stories. As the academic discourse widens, incorporating such stories into the canon will improve collaborations and foster networks of partners to create sustainable long-term collaborations that ultimately lead to greater understanding of and care for the material past.

Highlights

As archaeology has evolved, partnerships between private collectors and archaeologists have ebbed and flowed
This article centers on the collaborative experience of a studentcollector research team that worked to retroactively document both the archaeological landscape of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge (BNWR, or the Baca) in the San Luis Valley of Colorado and the critical role of archaeological ethnography in such collaborations
Archaeological ethnography, distinct from ethnohistory or ethnoarchaeology, is an approach that draws from both sociocultural anthropological methods and archaeological methods to create a distinct lens for conducting comprehensive archaeological work (Hamilakis 2011)

Summary

Introduction

Partnerships between private collectors and archaeologists have ebbed and flowed. The research team, led by me (a undergraduate student at Colorado College) and Bob and Judy Bunker (a long-time ranching and collecting couple in the Valley), was a continuation of efforts initiated in 2003 by regional archaeologists and land managers.

Results

Conclusion