Theses and Dissertations Collection

The archaeology of post-contact Indigenous peoples in the interior Northwest is not widely studied. The following is a case study comparison of historic Spokane Indian archaeological sites on the Spokane Reservation versus off the reservation using Indigenous archaeology and Critical Race Theory frameworks. The intent of the work was to seek a better understanding of the types of changes Spokane Indians faced during the historic period from their lives off the reservation to their lives on the reservation. The second goal was to collaboratively produce a piece of archaeological work that will be beneficial to that Spokane Tribe of Indians Archaeology and Preservation Program, to the tribe generally, and to the archaeological community. Despite archaeological bias and ambiguous material culture which made identifying historic Spokane sites and site components difficult, several similarities and differences were observed that provide a slightly more vivid insight into the lives of post-contact Spokane Indians.