Heritage Voices · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Encore: The Ramblings of a Lakota Anthropologist on American Indians and Anthropology and Tribal Relations - Ep 75

·1 hr 2 min·4 clips

Myers says tribal-relations work can blur whether someone is a professional Indian or a professional person who happens to be Indian.

Jessica Uquinto opens with a land acknowledgment and welcomes listeners to Heritage Voices episode 75. She introduces Dr. Richard Myers, a Lakota anthropologist and tribal relations specialist whose background spans Oglala Lakota College, South Dakota State University, Indian Affairs, the Smithsonian, and a PhD in anthropology from Arizona State University, then sets up a conversation about American Indians, anthropology, and tribal relations. Jessica notes that Myers was on episode 73 about ethics in experimental archaeology and says the earlier conversation did not leave enough time for everything she wanted to ask. Myers then turns to his current post at the Black Hills National Forest. He describes himself as the new guy, an outsider to USDA culture entering a system where many colleagues built careers from the ground up through fire crews and long service. That contrast shapes the interview. The conversation stays with what it means to enter federal work through a different path and with a different institutional history. Myers' academic and public-service resume remains in view. The episode names his time as director of graduate studies and associate professor at Oglala Lakota College, his role as director of tribal outreach at South Dakota State University, his work as a writer for the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs under both the Bush and Obama administrations, and his fellowship in anthropology at the Smithsonian. Jessica keeps the tone open and curious. Rather than pushing ahead, she lets him explain how those experiences connect to one another and to the larger question of tribal relations. The show also makes room for his leadership in the field. It notes that he is the president-elect of the Association of Indigenous Anthropologists. The exchange keeps returning to the overlap between anthropology and lived Indigenous experience. That overlap gives the episode its strongest tension and interest. The voice stays patient throughout. It lets a guest move from professional history to cultural context without forcing a quick conclusion. By the end, the listener has a clearer sense of how Myers talks about institutions, Native communities, and the work of representing both with care. The episode is less about a tidy thesis than about letting an experienced speaker map the terrain in his own time.

As heard by us

A conversational interview on anthropology, tribal relations, and public-service work with Dr. Richard Myers.

Heritage Voices episode 75 pairs Jessica Uquinto with Dr. Richard Myers for a conversation about American Indians, anthropology, and tribal relations.

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Why you'd press play

A steady listen when you want Indigenous anthropology grounded in tribal-relations work.

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