Doctoral Dissertation Research: Cultural Revitalization among Diasporic Native American Communities

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

Representation of Native Americans in contemporary American culture is an increasingly visible issue in the American consciousness. Social awareness of present-day Native peoples has grown considerably, but stereotypes, both negative and positive, continue to impede intercultural dialog between the federally-recognized tribes and the rest of the nation. At the same time, an ever-growing number of Native Americans are participating in acts of cultural revitalization that serve to reaffirm the culture of their respective sovereign nations and increase visibility of contemporary Native Americans to the general public. One particularly popular avenue for revitalization is through material culture, particularly for relocated tribes, where this process serves as a critical mechanism for tracing connections to ancestral lands and values. This project, which trains a graduate student in methods of scientific data collection and analysis, explores ethnic preservation among diasporic communities of the Oneida, who migrated from the northeastern United States to present-day sites in Wisconsin. The project engages with Oneida communities, including contributions to curricula for K-12 students, museum exhibits, and community center demonstrations. This project uses a combination of ethnographic, ethnohistoric, and archaeological methods to investigate how material culture, as expressed in craftwork, has been impacted by the Wisconsin Oneida’s exposure to a wide range of intertribal and international influences both before and after removal from their native territory in the New York area. Comparing contemporary works produced by Wisconsin Oneida to those crafted in their ancestral homelands and among their sister nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy provides insights into which cultural elements have been prioritized in their material culture and which have been altered in a manner that reflects their unique history of diaspora and cultural interaction. By addressing the popularity of different traditions and the degree to which they have been changed from recognized Iroquoian forms, the investigators can comment on the potential advantages and/or disadvantages of incorporating external cultural influences into the cultural revitalization process. The findings of this project will aid in developing a greater understanding of how cultural identity is maintained and protected by diaspora communities and Indigenous groups. Further, the development of curricular materials for K-12 educators will increase visibility of the perspectives of contemporary Native Americans. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.