History and Its Discontents Stone Statues, Native Histories, and Archaeologists
Author(s)
Gnecco, Cristobal; Hernandez, Carolina
Abstract
Through the recent symbolic appropriation of an archaeological site, an indigenous community in southwestern Colombia is subverting the colonial-created meaning attributed to the physical and cultural remains of ancient peoples; once feared and socially proscribed, these remains are now entering a new symbolic realm and playing an important role in the construction of territory and social life. A reflexive and committed archaeology can contribute to processes such as this one in the larger context of decolonization.