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Cited by 10Historical and Cultural Archaeology StudiesMaritime and Coastal ArchaeologyCultural Identity and Heritage

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 45 of the 45 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 83 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

What Is There to Do If You Find an Old Indian Canoe? Anti-Colonialism in Maritime Archaeology

Open access
Rich, Sara A., Sievers-Cail, Cheryl, Patterson, Khamal·2022·Heritage
DOI 10.3390/heritage5040191
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Abstract

Gale Academic OneFile includes What Is There to Do If You Find an Old Indian Canoe? An by Sara A. Rich, Cheryl Sievers-Cail, and . Click to explore.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

The paper argues that maritime archaeology’s dominant “resurrection model”—exemplified by conserving a 4000-year-old dugout canoe with PEG for museum display—can conflict with anti-colonial aims and Indigenous values, even when tribal partners consent. It uses the Cooper River canoe and the *Clotilda* as cases to ask whether anti-colonial maritime archaeology can dismantle the master’s boat using the master’s tools.

Key findings

  • The Cooper River canoe was illegally excavated in 1987, radiocarbon dated to 4170 ±70 yBP in the late Archaic period, made from a single cypress trunk, and identified as the oldest-known watercraft in South Carolina; after a day-long consultation with eight tribal leaders, consensus was to conserve it with PEG and display it in a public museum.
  • The authors argue this outcome follows the resurrectionist model of maritime archaeology—scholar as savior, immortality via PEG/museum—which conflicts with some Indigenous values voiced at the consultation, including life cycles, decay, and distributed agency, and with the claim that pollution is colonialism.
  • They conclude the canoe became subservient to its postcolonial symbolism of Indigenous unity, resilience, and resistance; because PEG irreversibly alters the organic canoe into an inorganic plasticized object, the immortalized canoe bears the irony of colonial metaphor.
  • They extend the implications to the 1859–1860 slave ship *Clotilda*, which carried 110 enslaved Africans, questioning resurrection/preservation and suggesting alternatives such as letting the wreck disintegrate or cutting off industrial pollutants at their sources.

Methods

  • Normative and theoretical paper combining anti-colonial critique with two case discussions: a late Archaic dugout canoe from the Cooper River, South Carolina, and the wrecked slave ship *Clotilda*.
  • Case material includes the canoe’s 1987 illegal excavation, surrender to SCIAA, radiocarbon dating, 2020 move to Clemson University’s Warren Lasch Conservation Center, and a day-long consultation with eight tribal leaders, archaeologists, and conservators.
  • Analysis is conceptual, drawing on Liboiron’s “pollution is colonialism,” critiques of the resurrection model, and Lorde, Povinelli, and McGhee; no new quantitative analysis is reported.

Limitations

  • The authors state that normative claims tend to be universalizing, that their intention is to introduce skepticism and weigh anti-colonial claims case by case, and that they write with humility from their own perspectives and “might get some things wrong.”
  • They note barriers in the consultation: the decision needed to be made that day, some scientists seemed insistent that PEG was the right or only rational choice, partners lacked sufficient contextual knowledge, and the speaker/sitter arrangement was hierarchical rather than a talking circle.
  • Evident from the text: the argument rests on a single case and a prospective analogy to *Clotilda*, without systematic empirical evaluation or descendant decision-making data.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.3390/heritage5040191

Cites

45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

0 of 83 cited sources checked · 0 supported · 0 flagged

  • Findingnone given

    In 1987, the remains of the late Archaic canoe were illegally excavated from the Cooper River near Charleston, South Carolina.

    “In 1987, the remains of the late Archaic canoe were illegally excavated from the Cooper River near Charleston, South Carolina.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingcitation

    The option to return the canoe to the river was weighed only briefly before reaching the consensus to conform with 'industry standards' and plasticize the tree-canoe.

    “Yet the option to return the canoe to the river was weighed only briefly among other alternatives (freeze-drying, in-water retainment, sugar-alcohol impregnation [54,55]) before reaching the consensus to conform with 'industry standards' and plasticize the tree-canoe [45,47].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [45] Porteous, 2022, Conserving Context and Community: Reconnecting an Illegally Excavated, Precolonial Dugout Canoe to Its Community, Stud. Conserv. source
    • cites [47] Parker, A. (The Post and Courier, 2021). Ancient Canoe Becomes Symbol of Unity for Tribes, The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, USA.
  • Findingcitation

    The canoe was rapidly embraced as a symbol of Indigenous resistance and perseverance.

    “the canoe was rapidly embraced as a symbol of Indigenous resistance and perseverance [47]”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [47] Parker, A. (The Post and Courier, 2021). Ancient Canoe Becomes Symbol of Unity for Tribes, The Post and Courier, Charleston, SC, USA.
  • Findingcitation

    Native partners were not privy to how others have resolved the question of what to do with an old canoe.

    “Nor were they privy to how others have resolved the question of what to do with an old canoe”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [60] Bezucha, D. (2022, July 08). What’s Canoe with You? 1200-Year-Old Dugout Canoe Begins Long Paddle to Preservation. Wisconsin Public Radio. 25 November 2021. Available online: https://www.wpr.org/whats-canoe-you-1-200-year-old-dugout-canoe-begins-long-paddle-preservation.
    • cites [61] Kuta, S. (2022, October 09). 3000-Year-Old Dugout Canoe Recovered from Wisconsin Lake. Smithson Magazine, 27 September 2022. Available online: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/3000-year-old-dugout-canoe-recovered-from-wisconsin-lake-180980843/.
    • cites [62] Williams, J. (2022, November 06). Never Feel Invisible Again: 940-Year-Old Canoe Found in Lake Waccamaw. The News Reporter Columbus, 19 October 2022. Available online: https://www.nrcolumbus.com/townnews/politics/never-feel-invisible-again-940-year-old-canoe-found-in-lake-waccamaw/article_de2a7fc0-4e5b-11ed-b157-9f3952c0b40a.html.
  • Findingcitation

    Native partners were not made aware of the possibility that the canoe had been an ancestor's coffin.

    “They were not made aware of the possibility that the canoe had been an ancestor's coffin [57][58][59]).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [57] Rushforth, 2002, The Great Spirit Was Grieved: Religion and Environment among the Cowlitz Indians, Pac. Northwest Q.
    • cites [58] Pérez, A.E., Tesmer, R.M., Sánchez, J.F.R., Lanata, J.L., Medina, A., and Cerda, M.C. (2022). A Prehispanic Canoe or Wampo Burial in Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. PLoS ONE, 17. source
    • cites [59] Yarrow, H.C. (1881). A Further Contribution to the Study of the Mortuary Customs of the North American Indians. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of Ethnology, Government Printing Office. Available online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/32938/32938-h/mortuary.html. source
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 19
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 50
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Findingown data

    The canoe was radiocarbon dated and determined to be the oldest-known watercraft in South Carolina, fashioned from a single cypress tree in the late Archaic period, 4170 +/-70 yBP.

    “it was radiocarbon dated and determined to be the oldest-known watercraft in the state, having been fashioned from the trunk of a single cypress tree (Taxodium distichum) in the late Archaic period, 4170 +/-70 yBP.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingreasoning

    Conservation with PEG would fundamentally alter the nature of the canoe, infusing its cellular structure with a petroleum-derived liquid plastic.

    “the first author of this paper drew on niche archaeological knowledge of waterlogged wood conservation to raise the point that conservation with PEG would fundamentally alter the nature of the canoe, as the process infuses the cellular structure of waterlogged wood with a petroleum-derived liquid plastic.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Findingreasoning

    The Yemassee, with concurrence from other Native leaders present, believe that change, including disintegration, is an integral part of the sacred life cycle.

    “With the first part of Chief Hadjo's commentary, it became apparent that the Yemassee, with concurrence from other Native leaders present, believe that change, including disintegration, is an integral part of the sacred life cycle.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Findingreasoning

    Some tribal leaders expressed feeling that they were students being instructed rather than consulted as experts and equals.

    “Some tribal leaders expressed feeling that they were students being instructed rather than consulted as experts and equals.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Findingreasoning

    There were barriers to leveling the uneven playing field: the decision needed to be made that day; some consulting scientists seemed insistent that PEG impregnation was the right or only rational choice; and pressure inhibited partners from gaining sufficient contextual knowledge.

    “However, there were some barriers to leveling the uneven playing field: the highly consequential decision of the canoe's fate needed to be made that day; some consulting scientists seemed insistent that PEG impregnation was the right or even only rational choice; and the pressure to rapidly make the 'right' decision inhibited partners from gaining sufficient contextual knowledge.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Findingreasoning

    The PEG conservation process would irreversibly change the canoe from wet to dry and from organic to inorganic.

    “The process would irreversibly change the canoe from wet to dry and from organic to inorganic.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Findingown data

    Eight tribal leaders from across South Carolina accepted the invitation to consult.

    “Given the novelty of the opportunity to consult with scientific experts on this matter, the invitation was accepted by eight tribal leaders located across the state (Wassamasaw; Edisto Natchez-Kusso; Waccamaw; Catawba; Yemassee; PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee; Pine Hill; and the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois, and United Tribes of South Carolina).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The tribal leaders who participated in the consultation were authorized to represent their respective tribal entities and communities.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Findingcitation

    The canoe remained in a tank of water outside the SCIAA office in Fort Johnson until 2020, when it was moved to Clemson University's Warren Lasch Conservation Center.

    “Without funds for conservation, the canoe remained in a tank of water outside the SCIAA office in Fort Johnson until 2020 when it was moved back to the Charleston area, where it currently resides at Clemson University's Warren Lasch Conservation Center (Figure 2) [45].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [45] Porteous, 2022, Conserving Context and Community: Reconnecting an Illegally Excavated, Precolonial Dugout Canoe to Its Community, Stud. Conserv. source

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Findingown data

    Native partners reached a consensus that the canoe would be conserved with PEG and placed on display in a public museum.

    “Over the course of the day-long consultation event, Native partners conceded that the canoe, consisting of one large hull section that preserves part of the curve of either bow or stern along with several smaller fragmentary hull pieces, would be conserved with PEG and then placed on display in a public museum.”
    • Also stated in: § Abstract · plain
      “Tribal representatives reached a consensus to preserve the canoe with PEG and display it in a public museum.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The tribal leaders who participated in the consultation were authorized to represent their respective tribal entities and communities.
    • Rests on an assumption: The consensus reached at the consultation reflects the views of the broader Indigenous communities affected by the canoe.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisecitation

    Pollution is colonialism.

    “As Métis environmental scientist Max Liboiron has deftly argued, pollution is colonialism [20].”
    • Also stated in: § Abstract · hedged
      “Following Max Liboiron's claim that pollution is colonialism, the anti-colonial maritime archaeologist's role in the Anthropocene might be to reframe research questions”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism, Duke University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisecitation

    The act of polluting is a colonial act, not merely an effect of colonialism.

    “Instead, the act of polluting is a colonial act.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism, Duke University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Shipwrecks frequently contain and comprise toxic and pollutive materials that damage marine, lacustrine, and riverine ecosystems.

    “shipwrecks also frequently contain and comprise toxic and pollutive materials that damage marine, lacustrine, and riverine ecosystems [15].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [15] Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). Naufragic Architecture in the Anthropocene. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisereasoning

    All living things, including those altered by human hands, must perish and return to the earth.

    “All living things, including those altered by human hands, must perish and return to the earth.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    All scientific research is archaeology.

    “support Shanks' observation that all scientific research is archaeology [6].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [6] Shanks, M. (2012). The Archaeological Imagination, Left Coast Press.

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    The resurrection model places the scholar in the position of savior by construing the wreck as a dead ship and resurrecting the ship from the wreck.

    “This model places the scholar in the position of savior by construing the wreck as a dead ship and commencing to resurrect the ship from the wreck.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [11] Rich, S.A. (2021). Shipwreck Hauntography: Underwater Ruins and the Uncanny, Amsterdam University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The distinction between marine and maritime, like the distinction between nature and society, has always been arbitrary if not insidiously destructive.

    “the distinction between these two concepts of marine and maritime, just as the distinction between 'nature' and 'society', has always been arbitrary if not insidiously destructive [15,22,23].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [15] Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). Naufragic Architecture in the Anthropocene. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.
    • cites [22] Godbout, G., and Luley, B.P. (2013). The Ecology of Others, Prickly Paradigm Press.
    • cites [23] Porter, C. (1993). We Have Never Been Modern, Harvard University Press.

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    In the postcolonial era, nearly all historical archaeology is maritime.

    “Flatman and Staniworth, who observed that in the postcolonial era, nearly all historical archaeology is maritime, contingent as material culture of this age is upon the transoceanic movement of people, things, and ideas [7].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [7] Hicks, D., and Beaudry, M.C. (2006). Historical Maritime Archaeology. The Cambridge Companion to Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Colonialism conceptualizes land as a resource for profit; pollution defines land as both resource and receptacle to further colonial extraction and exploitation.

    “Colonialism is when land, and all that it encompasses, is conceptualized as a resource for profit; along the same lines, pollution defines land as both resource and receptacle (or sink) to further the colonial agenda of extraction and exploitation, commodification, and appropriation [15,20,21].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [15] Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). Naufragic Architecture in the Anthropocene. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.
    • cites [20] Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism, Duke University Press. source
    • cites [21] Tuck, 2012, Decolonization is Not a Metaphor, Decolonization Indig. Educ. Soc.

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Terrestrial archaeology has long grappled with its colonial legacy, but maritime archaeology lags behind in discussions of how power relations influence interpretation and management of underwater cultural heritage.

    “Although terrestrial archaeology has long grappled with the discipline's colonial legacy, its maritime counterpart lags behind in discussions of how power relations influence interpretation and management of underwater cultural heritage [10,11].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [10] Pearson, N. (2022). Belitung: The Afterlives of a Shipwreck, University of Hawaii Press. source
    • cites [11] Rich, S.A. (2021). Shipwreck Hauntography: Underwater Ruins and the Uncanny, Amsterdam University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    The apocalypse has been underway since 1492, when Columbus's Santa María wrecked and he claimed the island and its people for Spain.

    “However, from an Indigenous perspective, the apocalypse has been underway since 1492, ever since Columbus' nau (or carrack), Santa María, wrecked on the shores of Ayiti, and he claimed the island and its people for Spain and the Christian god.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [5] Heise, U.K., Christensen, J., and Niemann, M. (2017). Our Ancestors’ Dystopia Now: Indigenous Conservation and the Anthropocene. The Routledge Companion to the Environmental Humanities, Routledge. source
    • cites [16] Povinelli, E.A. (2021). Between Gaia and Ground: Four Axioms of Existence and the Ancestral Catastrophe of Late Liberalism, Duke University Press. source
    • cites [17] Tuck, E., and McKenzie, M. (2015). Place in Research: Theory, Methodology and Methods, Routledge. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    UNESCO's approach to global world heritage could be perceived by some as an extension of the colonial project.

    “Lynn Meskell makes a strong case that UNESCO's approach to global world heritage could be perceived by some as an extension of the colonial project, traveling to, knowing and mapping territories outside one's own national boundaries.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [26] Meskell, 2002, Negative Heritage and Past Mastering in Archaeology, Anthropol. Q. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    There was no way to prevent or undo the canoe's illegal excavation, or theft.

    “Of course, there was no way to prevent or undo the canoe's illegal excavation, or rather, its theft.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The tree-canoe is a relation, and we have certain obligations to our relations.

    “The tree-canoe may not be an ancestor per se, but it is a relation, and we have certain obligations to our relations [20,46,[49][50][51][52][53].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20,46,[49][50][51][52][53]

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The resurrection model has dominated nautical archaeology from the discipline's outset and became the dominant protocol globally.

    “The resurrection, or savior-scholar, model has dominated nautical archaeology from the discipline's outset, and can be seen in famous examples, like the Mary Rose and the Vasa, whose corpses have been scientifically exhumed from their watery graves and placed on display in the utopian space of a museum.”
    • Also stated in: § 2. Thinking with Theory · plain
      “Originating in the West, the resurrection model quickly became the dominant protocol on a global scale (e.g., Nanhai no. 1 in China, Kyrenia in Cyprus, Batavia in Australia, and the Kinnaret and Ma'agan Michael in Israel).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [11] Rich, S.A. (2021). Shipwreck Hauntography: Underwater Ruins and the Uncanny, Amsterdam University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The outcome of the consultation is a rare case in which the resurrection model works in the service of anti-colonialism.

    “At first glance, this outcome seems to be a rare case of rapid consensus between multiple stakeholders, and at the same time, a rare case in which the resurrection model works in the service of anti-colonialism, rather than in celebration of imperial or dominant-culture prowess.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    The invention of the ship was the invention of the shipwreck.

    “French philosopher Paul Virilio famously stated (twice) that the invention of the ship was the invention of the shipwreck [13,14].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [13] Rose, J. (2008). Open Sky, Verso. [1997].
    • cites [14] Cavaliere, M. (1999). Politics of the Very Worst, Semiotext(e).

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisenone given

    This outlook is specific to Western thought, with roots in Christian theology that valorizes eternal salvation, bodily resurrection, and heavenly utopia over aging, death, and disintegration.

    “However, this outlook is specific to Western thought, with its roots in a Christian theology that valorizes eternal salvation, bodily resurrection, and heavenly utopia over aging, death, and disintegration.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisecitation

    The universal is never universal, but rather an argument to imperialistically expand a particular worldview as the worldview.

    “As Liboiron summarizes, 'The universal is never universal, but rather an argument to imperialistically expand a particular worldview as the worldview,' so even-or especially-anti-colonial claims are best weighed on a case-by-case basis to allow for local nuance [20] (p.52, original emphasis) [44].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism, Duke University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Living things gone back to the earth, including oil, are best kept in the ground.

    “Living things gone back to the earth, including oil, are best kept in the ground [49].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [49] Todd, 2017, Fish, Kin and Hope: Tending to Water Violations in amiskwaciwâskahikan and Treaty Six Territory, Afterall source

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationcitation

    The Anthropocene and colonialism are inextricably entwined; continental genocide has erupted into global ecocide.

    “The Anthropocene and colonialism are inextricably entwined; in other words, what began as continental genocide has erupted over the last few centuries into global ecocide.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [1] Lewis, 2015, Defining the Anthropocene, Nature source
    • cites [2] Lewis, S.A., and Maslin, M.A. (2018). The Human Planet: How We Created the Anthropocene, Penguin Random House. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisereasoning

    Archaeologists notoriously have a hard time 'letting go'.

    “it is not surprising that archaeologists notoriously have a hard time 'letting go' [40,41].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [40] Desilvey, C. (2017). Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving, University of Minnesota Press.
    • cites [41] Scarre, G., and Coningham, R. (2013). On Archaeological Ethics and Letting Go. Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Practice of Archaeology, Cambridge University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Material culture from the last four centuries falls under the remit of maritime archaeology.

    “In these ways, material culture from the last four centuries, even the dirtiest polluting bits we archaeologists often ignore, falls under the remit of maritime archaeology.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    The language of UNESCO conventions reinforces Western notions of value and rights, and ownership and maintenance of the past is suffused with concepts of property.

    “The language of the UNESCO conventions reinforces Western notions of value and rights, while the ownership and maintenance of the past is suffused with the concepts surrounding property [26] (original emphasis).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [26] Meskell, 2002, Negative Heritage and Past Mastering in Archaeology, Anthropol. Q. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Plasticizing the canoe would permanently alter its substance and essence.

    “In the end, the desire to preserve the canoe as a perpetual symbol of intertribal unity dominated concerns surrounding the canoe's own life, spirit, and autonomy, and that plasticizing it would permanently alter its substance and essence.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The authors may not put it forward as true. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. The quote only partly states this claim.

    Interpretationcitation

    The consensus of Indigenous partners was an expression of self-governance, autonomy, and sovereignty.

    “On one hand, it may seem that the consensus of Indigenous partners was an expression of self-governance, autonomy, and sovereignty, and certainly this consultation event was a step in that direction (but see [12]).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [12] McGhee, F.L. (1997). Toward a Postcolonial Nautical Archaeology. Assemblage, 3, Available online: https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/assemblage/html/3/3mcghee.html.
    • Rests on an assumption: The tribal leaders who participated in the consultation were authorized to represent their respective tribal entities and communities.
    • Rests on an assumption: The consensus reached at the consultation reflects the views of the broader Indigenous communities affected by the canoe.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Interpretationnone given

    The preference for preserving wrecks in situ is concerned with increasing longevity so that wreckage might again benefit (some) humans in the future.

    “The preference for preserving wrecks in situ is concerned with increasing the longevity of the wreckage so that it might again benefit (some) humans in the (near or distant) future.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

    Interpretationnone given

    The conclusions reached here have implications for other maritime and museum contexts, including the Clotilda.

    “The conclusions reached here have implications for other maritime and museum contexts too, including the highly publicized case of the wrecked 1859-1860 slave ship, Clotilda.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationcitation

    The colonial project has known all along that its powers would burn hot and fast, with the preservation fetish emerging as an attempt to preempt the ruins of settler states.

    “It is as if the colonial project has known all along that its powers would burn hot and fast, with the preservation fetish emerging as an attempt to preempt the ruins of settler states [42,43].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [42] Bloch, 2020, Animate Earth, Settler Ruins: Mound Landscapes and Decolonial Futures in the Native South, Cult. Anthropol. source
    • cites [43] Holtorf, 2015, Heritage Erasure: Rethinking “Protection” and “Preservation”, Int. J. Herit. Stud. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Scientific resurrection of ships from wrecks assumes that the wrecked ship's rightful place is a heavenly zone of immortality, preserved eternally with pixels or PEG.

    “scientific resurrection of ships from wrecks assumes that the wrecked ship's rightful place is a heavenly zone of immortality, preserved eternally with pixels or conserved eternally with polyethylene glycol (PEG) [11].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [11] Rich, S.A. (2021). Shipwreck Hauntography: Underwater Ruins and the Uncanny, Amsterdam University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationcitation

    Raising Clotilda may subject the enslaved captives and those lost at sea to a death in amber, a spectacle most visible during self-interested scrutiny.

    “raising Clotilda may still subject the enslaved captives and those lost at sea to a death in amber, a spectacle ironically most visible during self-interested scrutiny [76,77].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [76] O’Grady, S. (2022, October 20). A Migrant Ship with a Tragic History Is at the Venice Biennale. A New Migrant Boat Sinking Shows It’s More Than a Relic. Washington Post, 10 May 2019. Available online: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/05/10/migrant-ship-with-tragic-history-is-venice-biennale-new-migrant-boat-sinking-shows-its-more-than-relic/.
    • cites [77] Chouliaraki, L. (2013). The Ironic Spectator: Solidarity in the Age of Post-Humanitarianism, Polity Press.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    The Mobile River delta is the third most polluted river in the US.

    “In its current position in the Mobile River delta, the third most polluted river in the US”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [72] Wilkins, C., and Kemp-Rotan, R. (2022, October 20). Racialization of Space and Spatialization of Race. Architectural League of New York, 7 May 2021. Available online: https://archleague.org/article/africatown-public-space/.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Interpretationnone given

    PEG plasticization renders the ensouled organic into a desouled inorganic, altering its substance and essence as indelibly as Earth's crust since 1610.

    “PEG that renders the ensouled organic into a desouled inorganic, its substance and essence as indelibly altered as Earth's crust since 1610.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Many Clotilda descendants recognize the ship and the waters in which it rests as a conveyance of lost ancestors and as a conveyance between the Over Here and the Over There of ancestral lands.

    “Many Clotilda descendants recognize the ship and the waters in which it rests as a conveyance of lost ancestors but also as a conveyance between the Over Here and the Over There of ancestral lands [73].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [73] Robertson, N.S. (2008). The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Making of Africa Town. USA: Spirit of Our Ancestors, Praeger. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    Post-colonial and anti-colonial are not synonyms.

    “post-colonial and anti-colonial are not synonyms [20].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism, Duke University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisereasoning

    Museum and mausoleum both refer to the keeping of the dead, but only the former is directly positioned to commodify those holdings as a resource.

    “museum and mausoleum both refer to the keeping of the dead, but only the former is directly positioned to commodify those holdings as a resource.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationreasoning

    An anti-colonial maritime archaeology does not need to subscribe to the same 'industry standards' as archaeology practiced elsewhere.

    “An anti-colonial maritime archaeology does not need to subscribe to the same 'industry standards' as archaeology practiced elsewhere”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Of the sixteen or more existing tribal entities in South Carolina, only one (Catawba) is federally recognized, and only nine others have state recognition.

    “of the sixteen or more existing tribal entities in South Carolina, only one (Catawba) is federally recognized, and only nine others have state recognition [67].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [67] South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs (2022, October 09). South Carolina’s Recognized Native American Entities, Available online: https://cma.sc.gov/minority-population-initiatives/native-american-affairs/south-carolinas-recognized-native-american-indian-entities.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Sovereignty requires that partners be truly understood as equals, with all relevant information shared bilaterally.

    “where 'partners' are truly understood as equals, with all the relevant information shared bilaterally.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [52] Wilson, S. (2008). Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods, Fernwood.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Due to centuries of unequal power relations, sovereignty demands respect along with reciprocity and responsibility.

    “Due to centuries of unequal power relations, sovereignty demands respect along with reciprocity and responsibility [52]”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [52] Wilson, S. (2008). Research is Ceremony: Indigenous Research Methods, Fernwood.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisecitation

    The horizon is the same regardless of the direction taken to reach it.

    “The problem is that the horizon is the same, regardless of the direction taken to reach it.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [16] Povinelli, E.A. (2021). Between Gaia and Ground: Four Axioms of Existence and the Ancestral Catastrophe of Late Liberalism, Duke University Press. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    The conclusions reached in this paper have implications for other maritime archaeological contexts too.

    “we believe that the conclusions reached here have implications for other maritime archaeological contexts too.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationreasoning

    Clotilda is not really dead given the brackish and marine lives that teem within and beside those timbers now.

    “neither is it really dead given the brackish and marine lives that teem within and beside those timbers now.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • It may state two separate claims as one.

    Premisecitation

    Traditional thinking lacks a division between the political and spiritual, or the scientific and spiritual.

    “despite the absence in traditional thinking of a division between the political and spiritual, or the scientific and spiritual [17,46,[51][52][53].”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked
    • cites [17] Tuck, E., and McKenzie, M. (2015). Place in Research: Theory, Methodology and Methods, Routledge. source
    • cites [46] Deloria, V. (2003). God is Red: A Native View of Religion, Fulcrum Books. [1973].
    • cites [51] Watts, 2013, Indigenous Place-thought and Agency amongst Humans and Non-humans (First Woman and Sky Woman go on a European Tour!), Decoloniz. Indig. Educ. Soc.

  • Probably not a substantial claim.

    Interpretationnone given

    The conservation method and the museum context have irreversibly changed the canoe.

    “how and why the conservation method and the museum context have irreversibly changed this object”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.

    Interpretationnone given

    The conservation paradigm has origins in Christian imperialism.

    “understanding the origins in Christian imperialism of the conservation paradigm”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The timbers of felled trees are connected with the bodies of enslaved people.

    “That the ship was designed to transport lumber, further connects the timbers of felled trees with the bodies of enslaved people.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The Clotilda was designed to transport lumber.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationreasoning

    We cannot hope to reach the horizon of a different, less catastrophic future by relying on the same old neoliberal methods of the present.

    “we cannot hope to reach the horizon of a different, less catastrophic, future by relying on the same old neoliberal methods of the present.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisereasoning

    Respecting sovereignty requires more than simply recognizing Indigenous peoples' authority to make decisions on their own behalf.

    “There is more to respecting sovereignty than simply recognizing the peoples' authority to make decisions on their own behalf.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.

    Premisecitation

    Audre Lorde published a now-famous essay in 1984 explaining that the structures of colonial patriarchy cannot be disbanded by rebranding those same structures and harnessing them into a new one.

    “In 1984, three years before the canoe was stolen from the Cooper River, Audre Lorde published a now-famous essay explaining how the structures of colonial patriarchy cannot be disbanded by rebranding those same structures and harnessing them into a new one [69].”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [69] Lorde, A. (2007). The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Crossing Press.

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Premisecitation

    Dismantling the master's house using the master's tools can only ever replicate the selfsame dysfunctional structures that need tearing down.

    “That method (dismantling the master's house using the master's tools, in her words) can only ever replicate the selfsame dysfunctional structures that need tearing down.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence.

    Interpretationreasoning

    An anti-colonial maritime archaeology cannot hope to dismantle the master's nau using the master's tools.

    “an anti-colonial maritime archaeology cannot hope to dismantle the master's nau using the master's tools”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
61 of 61

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The tribal leaders who participated in the consultation were authorized to represent their respective tribal entities and communities.

    “Given the novelty of the opportunity to consult with scientific experts on this matter, the invitation was accepted by eight tribal leaders located across the state (Wassamasaw; Edisto Natchez-Kusso; Waccamaw; Catawba; Yemassee; PAIA Lower Eastern Cherokee; Pine Hill; and the Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois, and United Tribes of South Carolina).”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The consensus reached at the consultation reflects the views of the broader Indigenous communities affected by the canoe.

    “Over the course of the day-long consultation event, Native partners conceded that the canoe, consisting of one large hull section that preserves part of the curve of either bow or stern along with several smaller fragmentary hull pieces, would be conserved with PEG and then placed on display in a public museum.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    At least two enslaved passengers perished on the journey from Dahomey (modern Benin).

    “Given that at least two enslaved passengers perished on the journey from Dahomey (modern Benin), raising Clotilda risks severing the connection between these lost souls and the waters in which their bodies were cast.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The Clotilda was designed to transport lumber.

    “That the ship was designed to transport lumber, further connects the timbers of felled trees with the bodies of enslaved people.”
4 of 4

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Conflicting counts of recognized South Carolina tribal entities

    Minor

    The paper says the state had fourteen recognized tribal entities, but later says that only one of its tribal entities was federally recognized and nine others had state recognition. That later account identifies at most ten recognized entities, not fourteen.

  • Lorde essay is cited as a different reference

    Minor

    The text attributes an essay to Audre Lorde and cites [69], but reference 69 is a newspaper article by Parker. The Lorde essay appears as reference 71.

2 of 2

Citations

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 14

  1. Shanks, M. (2012). The Archaeological Imagination, Left Coast Press.
  2. Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). Naufragic Architecture in the Anthropocene. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.
  3. Godbout, G., and Luley, B.P. (2013). The Ecology of Others, Prickly Paradigm Press.
  4. Porter, C. (1993). We Have Never Been Modern, Harvard University Press.
  5. Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). Collapse, Cataclysm, Eruption: Alien Archaeologies for the Anthropocene. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.
  6. Rich, S.A., and Campbell, P.B. (2023). The Biggest Museum Gallery in the Whole World: Virtual Excavation and the Musealization of the Seafloor. Contemporary Philosophy for Maritime Archaeology: Flat Ontologies, Oceanic Thinking, and the Anthropocene, Sidestone Press. in press.
  7. Mcniven, 1996, Forum: May She Rest in Peace, New Sci., 151, 60
  8. Bicknell, J., Judkins, J., and Korsmeyer, C. (2020). On the Road to Ruin: Anticipating and Appreciating the Natural Degradation of Human Constructions. Philosophical Perspectives on Ruins, Monuments, and Memorials, Routledge. · DOI · Paper page
  9. Desilvey, C. (2017). Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving, University of Minnesota Press.
  10. Scarre, G., and Coningham, R. (2013). On Archaeological Ethics and Letting Go. Appropriating the Past: Philosophical Perspectives on the Practice of Archaeology, Cambridge University Press. · DOI · Paper page
  11. Watts, 2013, Indigenous Place-thought and Agency amongst Humans and Non-humans (First Woman and Sky Woman go on a European Tour!), Decoloniz. Indig. Educ. Soc., 2, 20
  12. Rushforth, 2002, The Great Spirit Was Grieved: Religion and Environment among the Cowlitz Indians, Pac. Northwest Q., 93, 188
  13. Lorde, A. (2007). The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House. Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Crossing Press.
  14. Chouliaraki, L. (2013). The Ironic Spectator: Solidarity in the Age of Post-Humanitarianism, Polity Press.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Related

Metadata

Authors
Rich, S. A., Sievers-Cail, C., & Patterson, K.
Affiliations
  • Coastal Carolina University (US)
  • Cognition, Santé, Société (FR)
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore (US)
Corresponding author
Rich, Sara A.
ORCID
Rich, Sara A.
Venue
Heritage
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2022-11-24
Volume
5
Issue
4
Pages
3664-3679
ISSN
2571-9408 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/heritage5040191
OpenAlex
W4309937934
Cited by
9
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3
FWCI
5.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Heritage (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology (arts and humanities) › Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
  • Social Sciences › Cultural Studies › Cultural Identity and Heritage
Keywords
anti-colonialism, maritime archaeology, Indigenous archaeology, dugout canoes, Cooper River, indigenous consultation, indigenous values, Anthropocene, museum exhibitions, slave ships, Audre Lorde

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-11-10, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-11-10 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

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