Talking with a Navajo ranger changed how I see Ancestral Puebloan sites

I was at Chaco Canyon last month and a park ranger who is Navajo mentioned his people don't use the term 'Anasazi' because it means 'ancient enemies' in their language. He said the sites are more like a distant relative's house you visit respectfully. Why don't more archaeology exhibits include descendant perspectives like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendy13111d ago

Hear what you're saying, but I'd push back a little. A lot of archaeology exhibits do include descendant perspectives nowadays, especially in the Southwest, but it varies a ton by museum and funding. Different tribes have different views on these sites too, so it's not always simple to pick one voice.

spencer98111d ago

Saw a thing from the American Indian Studies folks saying some tribes actually want less public access to certain sites to keep them sacred. Its tricky, @wendy131, for sure.

williams.sage11d ago

Wow, wait, @spencer981 are you saying some tribes actively want people locked out of these spots? That's wild to me. I always figured they'd want more people to see the history, not less.