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Joining the Circle: Native American Philosophy Applied to the Study of Late Archaic Shell Rings of the Southeast United States

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Abstract

Archaeology is in a period of change, a point of inflection in which the discipline strives to reject its colonial roots. Embracing the “ontological turn,” archaeologists are applying diverse worldviews within their interpretations, yet these worldviews continue to reintroduce colonial ideals as they emerge out of Western philosophical schools. Using Native American philosophy, a recent addition to the academy, several key themes are identified and applied to the study of Late Archaic shell rings found along the Southeast United States coastlines. Through these themes, these sites are interpreted as places where Native Americans established communication with non-human forces and eventually socialized the newly formed coastline. The use of Native American philosophy is provided as a counter-balance to the use of Western philosophy as a means of further decolonizing archaeology

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Acknowledgements

I am deeply indebted to David Hurst Thomas and Severin Fowles who introduced me to the rich field of Native American philosophy. I also thank Bob Kelly, Randall McGuire, Ruth VanDyke, and Nina Versaggi who reviewed previous versions of this paper as well as Craig Cipolla, Maria Nieves Zedeño, and an anonymous reviewer who provided contructive critique. I appreciate the many people who provided support and insights, including Katie Seeber, Sam Bourcy, and students within my Indigenous Archaeology course at Binghamton University. I thank the Georgia Indian Council for working with us and I appreciate the financial and logistical support provided by the Edward John Noble and St. Catherines Island foundations. I am in debt to Lorann Pendleton who was the first to recognize the presence of human remains at McQueen; I shudder to think what would have happened without her trained eye. All mistakes within this paper are my own and it reflects my own beliefs and understandings.

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    Matthew C. Sanger

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Sanger, M.C. Joining the Circle: Native American Philosophy Applied to the Study of Late Archaic Shell Rings of the Southeast United States. J Archaeol Method Theory 28, 737–765 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10816-021-09532-8

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