Research summary
Traditional archaeology has played a significant role in severing Indigenous communities from both their heritage and their sovereign right to develop and maintain ancestral relations. As Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Archaeology, Dr. Kristen Barnett’s aim is to help decolonize the field of archaeology.
Her research is transforming our understanding of rematriation and repatriation, including expanding what qualifies for return (beyond ancestor remains and “artifacts”) to include “ecofacts.” By using a decolonizing lens, she and her research team are establishing archaeology as regenerative, reframing Indigenous heritage as a representation of the future, and affirming First Nations and Indigenous sovereignty. Their research will facilitate a process of remaking meaning and intergenerational connection and engagement with materials previously separated from communities. Their ultimate goal is to enable communities to heal from the cultural disruptions imposed by traditional archaeology.