Like most archaeologists, I have been ingrained to use the terms “prehistory” and “prehistoric” when referring to the “New World” populations before Columbus. “Prehistory” and “prehistoric” have their roots in European archaeology but the terms were carried over into archaeologists working in the Americas to distinguish archaeology before and after the arrival of Columbus.
But after years working with Native Americans and in light of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movement and recent archaeological confirmation of oral histories here and in Canada and Australia where archaeologists also have begun to use oral histories to evaluate sites and reconstruct past histories for descendent and indigenous communities (Langlois 2017; Nicholas 2001, 2018; Nunn and Reid 2015). These oral histories have enhanced and expanded the archaeological record while helping descendent and indigenous communities regain their history and heritage (Colwell-Chanthaphonh and Ferguson 2008; Gauvreau and McLaren 2016; McKechnie 2017; Watkins 2001). Oral histories add another dimension to the record as they personalize sites and artifacts, bringing them to life and act as a check on archaeological interpretations. These oral histories are their heritage; they demonstrate the potential validity of such histories.
These factors have caused me to reassess the use of “prehistory” and “prehistoric”. Do they really reflect the reality of the Americas before Columbus? I have come to the conclusion they do not; rather, they are loaded and potentially racially charged as they reflect a colonialist perspective: those who were here beforehand had no history. It was only after Columbus that “New World” populations had a history, and much of that history has focused on Euro-Americans.
Even the term “New World” is a loaded colonialist term, implying that populations already there had no concept of their world. For the populations that Columbus and those who followed encountered, it was not a new world; it was a world they had been intimately knowledgeable about and well acquainted with for thousands of years.
I suggest that we adopt the term “Pre-Contact” and “Post-Contact.” These terms are not loaded. Rather, they reflect a turning point – contact between two different civilizations. The terms do not make a value judgment about the inhabitants already present. They had and continue to have their history. Even though it is transmitted orally, it is no less valid; it is a history. Archaeologists are increasingly having to come to grips and deal with that history, a factor I think is advancing the profession and getting us beyond just dealing with artifacts. Recent demonstrations between oral histories and sites are forcing us to reevaluate the validity of oral histories; thus the recognition that the use of the terms “prehistory” and “prehistoric”, especially in dealing with indigenous communities, is no longer valid; they marginalize the histories of those communities.
References
Colwell-Chanthaphonh, C. and T. J. Ferguson (editors) 2008 Collaboration in Archaeological Practice. Engaging Descendant Communities. Altamira Press. Lahnam MD
Gauvreau, A. and D. McLaren 2016 Stratigraphy and Storytelling. Imbricating Indigenous Oral Narratives and Archaeology on the Northwest Coast of North America. Hunter Gatherer Research 2.3:303-325.
Langlois, K. 2017 Indigenous Knowledge Helps Untangle the Mystery of Mesa Verde. High Country News. https://www.hcn.org/issues/49.17/features-archaeology-indigenous-knowledge-untangles-the-mystery-of-mesa-verde/print_view
McKechnie, I. 2017 Indigenous Oral History and Settlement Archaeology in Barkley Sound, Western Vancouver Island. BC Studies, no. 187, Pp 93-228
Nicholas, G. P. 2001 The Past and Future of Indigenous Archaeology: Global Challenges, North American Perspectives, Australian Prospects. Australian Archaeology, No. 52. Pp. 29-40
2018 It’s Taken Thousands of Years, But Western Science Is Finally Catching Up to Traditional Knowledge. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/its-taken-thousands-of-years-but-western-science-is-finally-catching-up-to-traditional-knowledge-90291
Nunn , P. D. and N. J. Reid 2015 Aboriginal Memories of Inundation of the Australian Coast Dating from More than 7000 Years Ago. Australian Geographer, Vol. 47, No. 1. Pp.11-47
Watkins, J. 2001 Indigenous Archaeology: American Indian Values and Scientific Practice. AltaMira Press. Walnut Creek. CA
