Tribal Archaeology Program

Mission

The Archaeology Program helps the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma comply with the National Historic Preservation Act internally by conducting background research and cultural resources surveys for Choctaw Nation projects, to provide the information necessary to make a determination of effect.

Program

Archaeology is a discipline that has its roots in colonization. Often, the viewpoints and practices of Americanist archaeology have brought its practitioners into direct conflict with Native American people. More recently, Indigenous archaeology has arisen as Native American people and perspectives have integrated into portions of the discipline and as Tribal governments have established their own archaeology programs.

The Choctaw Nation Tribal Archaeology program works to serve the Choctaw community by helping the Tribal government comply with federal law, while also following the wishes of the Choctaw people when it comes to treatment of archaeological sites and artifacts. The Program follows the traditional Choctaw viewpoint that archaeological materials remain the property of past people, not of the archaeologist or the repository. As such, excavation is used to identify archaeological sites and to provide information about the nature of a site's archaeological deposits that can be used to determine whether or not is it eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Both of these are crucial steps in complying with federal historic preservation law. Archaeological excavation, for the sake of general research will not occur on any projects unless it has the support of the Tribal government and community. The 10 ½ counties of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma are the ancestral homelands of other Tribes, including the Caddo, Osage, and Wichita and contain archaeological sites produced by Euro-Americans, African-Americans, and others. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is the steward of non-Choctaw archaeological sites that are located on Choctaw Nation-owned lands. This means consulting and collaborating with descendant communities for the appropriate management and preservation of these sites.