The Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum’s Director of Archaeology, Kathryn Turney, provides the museum with a wealth of knowledge regarding archaeology, Indigenous Peoples Law, and Cultural Resource Management (CRM). Turney also works for a Cultural Resource Management firm and advocates for Indigenous peoples, striving to educate others about contemporary and longstanding issues tribes and tribal members are facing.
Turney’s career in archaeology and CRM began with a love of exploring abandoned places. Through this exploration Turney encountered many Native American sites.
“I decided I would take one class in archaeology and see what happened,” said Turney. “And that was it for me. I changed careers.” Turney was previously a Director of Sales for Simon and Schuster.
Her thesis focused on the Navajo people that lived on Wupatki and how they were moved around on their land.
“I didn't understand the laws that governed that,” said Turney. “That's why I went to law school. I needed to learn more about why people were treated the way that they were treated.”
When Turney was in school, she said that the attempted erasure of Indigenous people was not taught and was glossed over. She added that one of her biggest goals is to make people more aware of the laws that were enacted that benefit Indigenous people, as well as those that do not benefit them.
Turney holds a Master’s in Archaeology from Northern Arizona University and a Master’s in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma.
Turney has been with VVAC for four years as the Director of Archaeology. One of her main duties is to promote the repository and bring business into it. She also sits on VVAC’s Board of Directors.
“I think the repository is really the big thing that people don't understand,” said Turney. “Until recently, people thought of us as a museum only, but now we’re so much more than that.”
When artifacts are recovered from CRM excavations and in situations where they must be removed, there is a process they need to go through to establish where they will be stored in perpetuity. VVAC houses these artifacts and human remains that were removed until repatriation is arranged with the tribes.
“That's a very important thing and it's an honor to have them visit for a little bit, but I’m very glad when they go home,” said Turney. “Our duty and our role to Indigenous people is to safeguard their things until they can be returned to them. That is our duty as I see it.”
“NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) is really important,” continued Turney. “I think the law still has a lot of holes in it that need to be filled in but at least it advocates for tribal members in a way that was not done before 1990 when the first NAGPRA bill was passed.”
Turney promotes the repository by going to different conferences, mainly those in Arizona since that is where VVAC wants their repository business to be, as well as help others understand what VVAC conducts.
In addition to donations, the curation of artifacts from both CRM firms and the United States Forest Service is a significant part of VVAC’s income. As a 501(c)(3) organization, VVAC relies on funding from donors, so the repository business is a very important revenue source.
Turney said that VVAC’s field survey crew is like a mini CRM firm within the center.
“There's absolutely no one like us,” said Turney, noting how VVAC is a museum, repository, and does CRM work for Prescott National Forest. “That's pretty diverse and all done with a volunteer staff. There’s nothing like it.”
“The most rewarding thing is working with volunteers,” said Turney about her position at VVAC. “Without them, we would not exist…They are absolutely amazing.”
Outside of VVAC, Turney works for a CRM firm that works with wind and solar clients. The firm will survey the land where the wind and solar farms will be built, similar to VVAC’s survey team yet on a more technical level. They check on existing sites and find new sites, as well as primarily performing compliance work.
Excavation is a very small part of the work, with the bulk of it being archaeological survey with monitoring to ensure that their clients don’t run into an archaeological site while doing construction. Turney said that archaeologists do not dig into the ground for fun, as was done previously, but do what is considered salvage archaeology when something must be excavated. She said that they want to leave things in place because that is what their Indigenous partners want, yet this can be difficult such as in situations where a road is being built.
“A lot of what I do and what other archaeologists do isn’t very glamorous work, but it’s very important work, and a lot of it is done behind the scenes,” said Turney.
She said that a common joke in the industry is that for every day spent in the field there’s five days of paperwork to follow.
Turney does ethnography work with tribes who want their stories told and remembered. She also works with tribal monitors, members of the tribe that are a part of a project and provide important knowledge to avoid running into cultural resources and traditional cultural properties.
One issue facing Indigenous people that Turney is passionate about is the plight of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW).
“There's a lot of violence and women in particular that go missing from tribes every year and nothing is really done about it,” explained Turney.
She added that the FBI has a page that shows missing people nationwide, and of the approximately 5,500 Indigenous people that go missing every year, only around a dozen make it onto that list.
“It’s glossed over a lot,” she said. “It’s a very, very big problem and people should be aware.” She recommended readers watch the film “Fancy Dance” to learn more about the plight of MMIW.
“I love to be part of educating people,” said Turney, especially regarding archaeology and Indigenous people. “I think the most important thing to understand about the relationship as far as the tribes go, is that the relationship with the tribe isn’t always what it seems. It’s really easy to be on the outside looking in and make judgements. I think that people should really look at the generational trauma and what it has caused.”
“Treaties are broken every day with tribes,” Turney continued. “That’s part of the work that I would like to do.” She added that there are a few laws she’s particularly interested in doing work with, such as the Indian Child Welfare Act.
“Not only do I seek Kathryn’s guidance but so does our Board of Directors, our Repository Committee, and the head volunteers in the lab,” said Monica Buckle, VVAC’s Executive Director. “Kathryn is always up-to-date with the Secretary of Interior's guidelines, federal guidelines and state guidelines, but also the nuances that are in effect across the archaeology community here in Arizona. That's so crucial for an archaeology museum because there's a lot of logistical red tape involved in processes, as well as protocol.”
“What I greatly appreciate besides Kathryn’s vast knowledge for material culture and understanding of the science of archaeology, is her advocacy and positive impact with present-day peoples, Native American communities, and lineal descendants. As well as, her enthusiasm to inspire the greater population to better understand and appreciate VVAC's immense responsibility to preserve, conserve, and educate,” continued Buckle.
“I want to see the museum grow,” said Turney, adding that it’s already growing. “I would love to find some more funds so we can do more important work.”
Help VVAC continue Cultural Resource Management
projects and Tribal collaborations by donating here: https://www.verdevalleyarchaeology.org/donate
VVAC is a NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) compliant organization. We adhere to the latest guidelines
in collection management put in place by the
United States Secretary of the Interior.
Comments