American Indian Contributions to
Crow Canyon Programs

Our American Indian partners offer knowledge and perspectives that inform all aspects of our research, education, and domestic travel programs, contributing to the Center's multicultural and multivocal approach to studying and teaching the past.

Many student educational activities at Crow Canyon have been enriched by information shared by our American Indian colleagues—everything from the details of traditional Pueblo farming techniques to how to weave on a traditional loom.

American Indian elders, community leaders, and artists serve as scholars and cultural consultants on many Crow Canyon travel programs. They also contribute directly to our on-campus programs by occasionally leading student activities in our pithouse and pueblo learning centers and providing special evening programs.

Our American Indian partners continually share their perspectives on history and culture with Crow Canyon's staff, who in turn incorporate those perspectives into the Center's educational programs. The inclusion of indigenous voices in a curriculum that also offers authentic research experiences in the field and laboratory encourages students to examine the different ways that American Indians and archaeologists reconstruct history.

In describing the special connection native peoples have to their ancestors and ancestral places, our American Indian partners underscore the importance of protecting archaeological sites, which are essential to reconstructing the past and preserving contemporary American Indian identity.