Abstract
 Rethinking Archaeological Practice and Representations of Space and Time Track: Archaeology Author(s): Judith Vanderelst, Heather Richards This paper investigates the benefits of integrating local knowledge into GIS for cultural applications. Many indigenous communities around the world live according to different principles and their knowledge system(s) differ significantly from the intellectual framework of Western researchers. As GIS are now routinely being used in anthropological and archaeological applications we need to question the validity of these systems as interpretive frameworks for cultural understanding. Research presented in this paper focuses on identifying different concepts and ideas about space, time, geographical knowledge, and worldview among indigenous communities in New Mexico. It is then discussed if and how we can integrate this knowledge into standard geospatial analytical practices in order to identify different patterns resulting from cultural diversity that will enrich our understanding of landscape dynamics. In the case of New Mexico, we are interested in those patterns resulting from a pre-colonial worldview. Judith Vanderelst University of New Mexico Anthropology anthropology Albuquerque , NM 87131 US Phone: 505-277-2212 E-mail: jvdelst@unm.edu Heather Richards UNM Anthropology anthropology Albuquerque , NM 87131 US Phone: 505-277-7057 E-mail: heathmr@unm.edu |
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