We Have Come to Turn it: Merging Archaeological Practice with the Cherokee Concept of Duyudvi

This dissertation provides a framework for using Indigenous archaeology through the experiences of a professional archaeologist who is also a traditional Cherokee cultural practitioner. The new methods presented highlight the need to incorporate Indigenous values and knowledge while recognizing tribal sovereignty within research methods for the future. As the lead archaeologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, I examine colonial legacies within the field and propose ways to allow for meaningful change through Indigenous-led collaborative work that incorporates community-based research and culturally grounded interpretations. This work is structured using three papers tailored to meet formatting guidelines to be published by different journals at a future date. The first utilizes an autobiographical account of the experiences of becoming an Indigenous archaeologist and the cultural issues this introduces. The second is a successful collaborative study analyzing Cherokee Syllabary inscriptions within Howard's Waterfall Cave, providing an example for future work. The last is a critical reflection on NAGPRA (The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, Pub. L. 101-601, 25 U.S.C. 3001 et seq., 104 Stat. 3048 of 1990 with revisions) and federal resource laws and their implications in Native communities. The study presents challenging methodologies that remain extractive and proposes future practices formed through accountability, partnerships, and cultural respect. When Cherokee language expertise, traditional knowledge, and first-hand accounts are combined within cultural resource management, a more meaningful way to practice Indigenous studies emerges. As shown in this dissertation, Indigenous archaeology can reshape academic research and allow for protection, healing, and cultural revitalization for everyone involved in studying Indigenous people. Ultimately, it asserts that Indigenous archaeology is not a theory to be selectively applied but a necessary evolution of the field—one that recognizes Native peoples not as subjects of research but as sovereign stewards of their histories.