Michigan, US, 10th October 2025, ZEX PR WIRE, Archaeologist and anthropologist Lindsay Martel Montgomery, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, is bringing new depth to the history of American archaeology. Her recent research at the Arizona State Museum uncovers the overlooked contributions of Indigenous workers whose knowledge, skill, and labor were vital to New Deal-era archaeological projects. By centering these narratives, Montgomery’s work challenges traditional accounts of the discipline and calls for a more inclusive recognition of the people who built its foundations.
Revisiting Forgotten Histories
Montgomery’s research focuses on two key archaeological sites excavated during the 1930s and 1940s: Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark in Fort Apache and Wupatki National Monument near Flagstaff, Arizona. Both projects were funded by major federal initiatives, including the Civilian Conservation Corps–Indian Division (CCC–ID) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). These programs provided critical employment during the Great Depression and helped establish modern preservation methods.
However, the official histories of these excavations often highlight the achievements of primarily male academic archaeologists while minimizing the central role of Indigenous participants in these university-led teams. Montgomery’s work reframes these projects by uncovering the experiences of this often overlooked work force in American history.
“The story of American archaeology has too often been told from the top down,” Montgomery said. “By revisiting these archives, we begin to see that the discipline’s success depended on the contributions of Indigenous and Black workers, some of whom were women, who brought knowledge and technical skill to every excavation.”
Kinishba Ruins: The Apache Legacy
At Kinishba Ruins, located on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, the excavation led by Byron Cummings of the University of Arizona between 1938 and 1939 relied on a team of approximately twelve Apache workers. Supported by the CCC–Indian Division, these laborers excavated, stabilized, and reconstructed ancestral pueblo room blocks dating between 800 and 1400 CE.
Montgomery’s archival research reveals how the Apache crew’s craftsmanship and familiarity with the local landscape ensured the stability of the site’s structures—many of which still stand today. The Kinishba project also reveals layered histories of Indigenous land use and occupation, as White Mountain tribal members worked to preserve Ancestral Puebloan structures occupied centuries prior to the formation of reservation in 1891.
“These workers were not just participants in archaeology,” Montgomery explained. “They actively shaped the modern cultural heritage landscape that we experience across the United States todaye.”
Wupatki National Monument: Rewriting the Narrative
At Wupatki National Monument, excavations were directed by Harold Colton of the Museum of Northern Arizona between 1933 and 1942. The project, supported by the CCC–Indian Division and the National Park Service, engaged Indigenous and local laborers in excavation, mapping, and restoration.
While these efforts were documented in reports and photographs, the individuals who carried out the work were rarely credited. Yet Montgomery’s research shows that these laborers were essential to the success of the project. Their skill and knowledge—particularly in masonry and site stabilization—shaped how Wupatki was interpreted and preserved.
Montgomery noted, “When we read between the lines of official records, we see a history of collaboration, adapatation, and resilience. These projects were never just about uncovering Indigenous sites; they were a collective effort to ensure community well being in the face of socio-economic hardship p.”
A Decolonial Reinterpretation
Lindsay Montgomery’s research reframes these New Deal-era projects through a decolonial lens, highlighting both their opportunities and contradictions. The CCC–Indian Division offered Indigenous communities employment and technical training, yet decision-making power remained concentrated in the hands of academically-trained archaeologists and government officials.
Despite these structural limitations, Indigenous and Black workers exercised autonomy within these projects, bringing to these projects their own logics for participation, skill sets, and cultural practices . Their contributions demonstrate how marginalized communities have always shaped archaeology—not simply as subjects of study, but as co-creators of knowledge.
“Federal archaeology programs of the 1930s reflected both progress and inequality,” Montgomery said. “They created jobs but also reinforced hierarchies. My goal is to shed light on the daily lives of the people who made those projects possible and to ensure their names and stories are remembered.”
Reclaiming the Historical Record
At the Arizona State Museum, Montgomery analyzed field reports, newspapers, letters, and photographs that offer a fuller picture of these projects. These materials reveal not only technical details but also the human networks that sustained them.
Through this work, Montgomery aims to challenge the assumption that archaeology’s progress was driven solely by scholars and institutions. Instead, she presents it as a collective enterprise fueled by various and often divergent rationales for participation..
Her research also connects the Arizona case studies to a broader pattern across North America, where New Deal programs relied heavily on Indigenous and Black labor to excavate and restore cultural sites. These workers’ efforts helped shape the field’s technical evolution and the creation of national heritage sites, even if their names remain absent from published histories.
Impact and Future Directions
Montgomery’s findings are already inspiring new conversations about ethics and recognition within archaeology. By highlighting the unacknowledged contributors to New Deal projects, her work encourages museums, universities, and heritage organizations to reassess their archives and exhibits. She advocates for greater transparency in authorship, credit, and narrative representation.
“The act of uncovering these hidden histories is transformative,” Montgomery reflected. “It reminds us that at its core archaeology is not just about artifacts—it’s about people, relationships, and memory. Acknowledging those who built this field changes how we understand its past and its future.”
Looking ahead, Montgomery plans to expand her research beyond Arizona to include similar projects in Georgia, Oklahoma, Indiana, and New Mexico a. Through deep archival work and discussions with descendants,, she hopes to bring these individual stories into the spotlight and to write a new history of archaeology centered on BIPOC labor.
A Path Toward Inclusive Archaeology
Lindsay Martel Montgomery’s work contributes to a growing movement to decolonize archaeology and make it more inclusive, ethical, and community-centered. Her research reaffirms that the discipline’s foundations rest not only in academic theories but in the lived experiences and hands-on expertise of those who shaped its early development.
By rediscovering these unsung architects of archaeology, Montgomery is helping to redefine the discipline’s legacy. Her work invites a future in which archaeology is not simply about studying the past, but about understanding how the past continues to live through the communities who built it.
About Lindsay Martel Montgomery
Lindsay Martel Montgomery is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Toronto. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Stanford University and specializes in Indigenous archaeology, heritage ethics, and community-based research. Her projects across North America have advanced models of trauma-informed practice, Indigenous data governance, and collaborative heritage management. Montgomery’s leadership as a scholar, educator, and consultant has made her a recognized voice in the movement to decolonize archaeology.
For more information, please feel free to visit https://www.lindsay-montgomery.com/
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