Archaeology and Indian identity - recent developments in the Americas.

Abstract

Short description by Editorial Team:
 The article aims to describe the outcomes of interactions between pre-Columbian archaeology and the indigenous population. First it tries to explain why certain methodological approaches are present in Latin American archaeologies. It examines earlier suggestions that Latin American archaeologies were oriented toward nationalism and relate to modern national identities. Because of this, Latin American archaeologies may not focus on the subject of their studies, pre-Columbian past, as a past of modern indigenous groups. US archaeologists, tend to bring this perspective in their work both in US and in Latin American countries. Iwaniszewski discusses in several examples the outcomes of such an approach. He concludes with the important remark that use of similar approach could bring certain gains to Polish archaeology.