Cultural Practice and Authenticity

Abstract

This chapter examines what the death of prehistory means for Native Americans in southern New England today. Citing instances where notions of prehistory make difficult attempts to collaborate with indigenous populations, as well as limit avenues for understanding indigenous forms of knowledge, the chapter considers the way archaeologists have studied and interpreted native groups of southern New England and calls for the inclusion of newer cultural practices that reveal the dynamic quality of these contemporary cultures in order to better understand both the past and present. It explores the disconnect that exists for many scholars between the imagined Indian and real native people in southern New England and presents examples of more contemporary cultural practices and places on the landscape that are used and created by native people and serve a purpose in their contemporary cultures. Finally, it analyses structures that symbolise connections to a precolonial presence for the Indian tribes of southern New England.