Heritage Voices · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Working with Tribes as a Non-Anthropologist - Ep 93

·55 min·1 clip

I am representing thieves, I am representing red tape to the bare minimum of being able to bury ancestors

Jessica Uquinto interviews Maya Poston about the unique career path of working as a non-anthropologist tribal liaison. Maya traces her background from childhood archaeology field schools through a literature/anthropology master's thesis analyzing Native American representation in Neil Gaiman's American Gods using the anthropological concept of liminality. She then discusses her position at California State Parks as a NAGPRA analyst, where she coordinates repatriation of ancestral remains and sacred objects to tribes. The episode centers on ethical practice: learning to approach tribal consultation with humility, recognizing her position represents a legacy of state-sanctioned genocide, and understanding the gap between academic knowledge and the emotional labor of actual community engagement. She shares specific lessons learned (avoiding terms like 'pioneering,' speaking slowly, seeking middle ground rather than flat refusals) and a moving example of witnessing tribal representatives reconnect with their family's historical basketry designs.

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