Abstract
Many collaborative projects between Indigenous peoples and archaeologists have focused on traditional ecological knowledge, emphasizing long-term use and patterns of continuity and innovation. Through an investigation of medicinal plant use at the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, located in southeastern New England, archaeobotanical remains are considered the outcomes of everyday environmental interaction. The charred plant remains, which can be identified as the materials of traditional ecological knowledge, are viewed as evidence of efforts to preserve and modify current practice and as interventions to shape future practice. Through this collaborative, multi-dimensional examination, we can access the “seeds” for the future and explore how Indigenous peoples, specifically women, were historical actors during the process of colonization in North America.
Résumé
De nombreux projets collaboratifs entre peuples Indigènes et archéologues se sont concentrés sur la connaissance écologique traditionnelle, en mettant l’accent sur les usages dans le long terme et les motifs de continuité et d’innovation. Une recherche sur l’utilisation des plantes médicinales sur la Réserve Mashantucket Pequot, située dans le sud-est de la Nouvelle Angleterre, fait apparaître que les restes archéobotaniques sont considérés comme le résultat d’interactions quotidiennes avec l’environnement. Les restes de plantes calcinées, qui peuvent être identifiés comme les matériaux de la connaissance écologique traditionnelle, sont vus comme les témoignages d’efforts pour préserver et modifier la pratique courante et comme des interventions pour façonner la pratique du futur. Cet examen collaboratif et multidimensionnel, nous permet d’accéder aux « germes » du futur et d’explorer comment les peuples Indigènes, et plus particulièrement les femmes, furent des acteurs historiques pendant le processus de colonisation de l’Amérique du nord.
Resumen
Muchos proyectos de colaboración entre los pueblos Indígenas y los arqueólogos se han centrado en el conocimiento ecológico tradicional, haciendo hincapié en el uso a largo plazo y en los patrones de continuidad e innovación. Mediante una investigación del uso de plantas medicinales en la Reserva Mashantucket Pequot, situada en el sudeste de Nueva Inglaterra, los restos arqueobotánicos se consideran los resultados de la interacción medioambiental de cada día. Los restos carbonizados de plantas, que pueden ser identificados como los materiales del conocimiento ecológico tradicional, son vistos como prueba de los esfuerzos por preservar y modificar la práctica actual y como intervenciones para dar forma a la práctica futura. Mediante este examen multidimensional de colaboración podemos acceder a las “semillas” para el futuro y explorar cómo los pueblos Indígenas, específicamente las mujeres, fueron actores históricos durante el proceso de colonización en Norteamérica.
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Acknowledgments
I have gratitude to all those who were involved in the project. Foremost, I must thank the Mashantucket Pequot community for providing the funding for this investigation via a research fellowship from 2008–2010 at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (MPRMRC). This research was also funded by a Natural History Collection Research Scholarship through the Klinger and Bemis Endowment at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2009 and 2007). I also would like thank the research staff and other community members at the MPMRC who made this project possible—Kevin McBride, Jason Mancini, Roberta Charpentier, and Kathleen Boushee. I also heartfully thank H. Martin Wobst, for all his efforts, kindness and guidance throughout the past few years, in which this research was developing. I owe him the deepest gratitude for all his incredible mentoring and words of wisdom/reflection throughout this process. And lastly, I thank all that were involved in the creation of this special issue in honor of Martin, especially the anonymous reviewers. Any flaws in this work are my own and I take full responsibility.
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Kasper, K. Seeds for the Future: The Materialities of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Arch 8, 269–292 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9217-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-012-9217-9