Heritage Voices · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Seeing the Hozhó in Anthropology - Ep 94

·58 min·3 clips

Kendrick McCabe says anthropology began with asking what it means to lose identity and be “in between worlds.”

Jessica opens with place and responsibility, framing a conversation about seeing the Hojo in anthropology. She acknowledges the lands she is recording on, then welcomes Kendrick McCabe, whose background spans anthropology, psychology, cultural-resource work, and ethnography. The tone stays unhurried. Kendrick's path includes a BA in anthropology with a minor in psychology from the University of Alaska, an MA in cultural anthropology from the University of New Mexico, and work with the City University of New York, the Navajo Nation Human Research and Review Board, and the Center for Ethnographic Research. He also brings military experience. Before anthropology, he spent seven years as a behavioral health non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, which gives his remarks about institutions and communication extra weight. The episode keeps returning to translation. Kendrick describes meetings with city and state officials who do not always know how to communicate with tribal members, and he notices how people often reach for familiar small talk before the harder conversation begins. That is not a simple skill. He talks about the courage it takes to speak in those rooms, especially when the people around the table are not used to hearing Indigenous voices on their own terms. Blood quantum comes up hard. Kendrick treats it as a sensitive topic and points out that tribes do not all approach identity the same way. He pushes the frame wider. Some nations use blood measures, while others look to oral history, family story, language, and other signs of belonging. The episode keeps its footing. Rather than reducing personhood to appearance or paperwork, it lingers on the many ways a tribal member can show who they are. The emotional cost is clear. A careless remark can flatten the room, and a careful one can restore respect. The episode resists slogans. It leaves room for grief, pride, curiosity, and the long work of saying identity out loud without collapsing it into a single test.

As heard by us

Hojo, anthropology, and Indigenous personhood come together in a grounded, thoughtful conversation.

The conversation around Hojo broadens into a sharper critique of what anthropology misses when it turns identity into a box to tick. Kendrick McCabe comes through as a cultural anthropologist with cultural-resource and ethnographic experience, which keeps the discussion tied to…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You get blood quantum, tribal identity, and Southwest ethnography in one careful, unhurried interview.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Heritage Voices