Relationships and Reciprocity: a Collaborative Approach to Ethnoarchaeology of the Choctaw (Chahta) Homeland

The Choctaw Ancestral Homeland is an understudied research area in archaeology with even less work done in collaboration with Indigenous descendant communities (both resident and removed). This project was in collaboration with descendant Choctaw communities to produce a body of research useful to the Choctaw people and contribute to the archaeology of the region. In developing this type of research collaboration, the theme of decolonization and Indigenous ontologies emerged, which adds value to the methods, analysis, and broader impacts of the work itself for both archaeologists and descendant communities. The specific research topics for this project were chosen and vetted with Choctaw communities in various avenues and different scales, resulting in three original research articles exploring theory, material culture, and cuisine as they relate to Choctaw culture, archaeology, and decolonization. The work begins with an introduction to the project, which is followed by an article that explores theories and applications of what it means to conduct "Collaborative" archaeology with descendant communities. Next, the second article focuses on the form and function of white glass trade beads on a Choctaw site in Kemper County, Mississippi. Finally, the third article makes the case for evidence of a Choctaw Cuisine in the archaeological record that has endured through time. In conclusion, a summary will be given to highlight the contributions and broader impacts of this research program to both the discipline of archaeology, my own research questions, and the Choctaw people.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Alabama Libraries

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Fedoroff, Michael Peter

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Blair, Elliot H.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Decaro, Jason
• Chiou, Katie
• Cajigas, Rachel
• Thompson, Ian

• Choctaw
• Collaborative Archaeology
• Culture
• Material Culture
• Native American Cuisine
• Pine Hills Archaeology

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved by the author unless otherwise indicated.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Dc Identifier Other

1140283

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ir.ua.edu:123456789/16655