Buffalo Soldiers, Apaches, and Cultural Heritage Education

Abstract

An important problem confronting cultural heritage management in the USA is the under-representation of groups historically defined as minorities. The roots of this absence are complex, but can be traced in part to deficiencies in cultural heritage education. An innovative archaeological project uniting descendants of opposing sides in the late 1800s Apache Wars serves to initiate a discussion of these issues. From 2004–2006 African American, Apache, and European American students and staff excavated a campsite in the Guadalupe Mountains of Texas used by Buffalo Soldiers and Apache alike. This project’s successes underscore the need for cultural heritage education that reaches all sectors of society. They also serve to illuminate some of the obstacles students, particularly those from under-represented groups, face in pursuing careers in disciplines, like archaeology, related to cultural heritage. Analysis of professional trends in these fields confirms that lack of representation is endemic. It also suggests that there are strong currents in higher education impeding minority students from pursuing their cultural heritage interests. While there is no single way around this educational impasse, the lessons from the Guadalupes suggest certain key components to success: experiential learning, financial support, a mixture of ages, and relevant subject matter. They are presented here not as a blueprint for future programming but as an invitation for further discussion.