ABSTRACT
In author's experience, a great deal of the objection of Native people to archaeology relates to power imbalances and the related lack of respect that has characterized much of archaeological practice. Colonization ripped away Native people's most basic human rights, including those involved in maintaining the dignity to control our own destiny. Management of one's own cultural heritage is an important part of self-determination and sovereignty, and with the development of archaeology this aspect of Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty was destroyed. The power to control Native American sites, ancestral remains, and other aspects of tangible and intangible cultural heritage was taken over by archaeologists who came to see themselves as stewards of the archaeological record. Perspectives about archaeology and Indigenous peoples are not monolithic, nor are they constant. The spectrum of views by archaeologists and Native peoples are diverse and continually in flux; thus, as with all things in life, some days continue to be tougher than others.
