Arthur C. Parker (1881–1955) is known as the first Native American archaeologist. His life and legacy as an archaeologist, however, have been neither closely studied nor widely recognized. And yet, Parker’s experiences directly inform contemporary debates about the control and representation of Native American archaeological heritages—heated debates which have consumed researchers, Native communities, and myriad public stakeholders for more than a decade.
An interdisciplinary study of archaeology’s historical formation through the prism of Parker’s life, this work illuminates how the choices scholars made more than a century ago built a moral community of archaeologists that continues to shape the discipline today. This project was in part funded by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This study will be published in the fall of 2009 by the University of Arizona Press.
