This summer, LTSCC had the honor of hosting the University of Oregon Archeological Field School at Watsonville Slough Farm for a unique archeology class in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

Tribal-led and Indigenous archaeology is complementary to mainstream archaeology, which has often disenfranchised and exploited Indigenous peoples. The Amah Mutsun Land Trust and Tribe use Tribal-led archaeological research to relearn the land and uphold their historic stewardship knowledge and practice. “Tribal led archeology teaches how to do archeology without damaging the soil, identifies tribal priorities, and creates space for archeologists to learn how to work with tribes,” explains Alexii Sigonai, tribal member and UC Berkeley PhD student.

The group worked out of the Bee Barn at Watsonville Slough Farm for four weeks in July and August. They conducted cultural resource surveys on several properties, including Star Creek Ranch and Rocks Ranch. While we don’t have a full report of their findings, we were excited to learn that Rocks Ranch has several important sites.

Twenty tribal members (ages 15-51) participated as program interns. For some, it was the first time on their tribal lands. Amah Mutsun Tribal Chairman, Valentin Lopez, said, “These internships lay the groundwork for future stewardship. There were so many moments of joy and building community.”

We are very happy to support the goals of our tribal partners in this way and hope that Tribal led archeology will become the standard practice.

For more information on Tribal-led and Indigenous archaeology, read the full story in the Amah Mutsun summer newsletter.