ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter provides a background context to and a summary of the 13 chapters written by 14 archaeologists working in sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and Scandinavia, showing how ethnographic knowledge of descendant peoples, and/or closely related peoples, can gainfully be integrated into an interpretation of the material record that their ancestors created, interacted with, and left behind. It is shown that three main approaches inform the chapters in this volume: social anthropology; cultural anthropology; and, to a lesser extent, neuropsychology. Drawing from indigenous emic accounts, archaeologists have noticed features in the material record that might otherwise have been overlooked, not recorded, and left uninterpreted. Additional benefits of this approach include the following: places disciplined constraints on interpretation; reveals the surprising antiquity of certain practices; helps detect changes alongside continuity; seamlessly incorporates neurophysiological components of the human mind and body; incorporates altered state of consciousness experiences and visions into interpretations; and incorporates indigenous views and concerns in the conservation and management of archaeological and rock art sites.
