Fort Ross: Collaborative Archaeology and the
native American voice
Section 110
Establishment of a Contact Zone:
• In 1799, Tsar Paul granted the Russian-American Company a broad
charter authorizing its monopoly over North America (Fort Ross
Interpretive Association)
• The Russian-American Company set up a mercantile company in present
day Sonoma County (Indians, Missionaries and Merchants 2)
•
The Russians assembled a multiethnic workforce: (Indians,
Missionaries and Merchants 2)
1. Kashaya Pomo
2. Coast Miwok
3. Aleuts (Alaskan Natives)
The primary reasons that mercantile companies interacted with
the natives: (Indians, Missionaries and Merchants 7)
1. Exploit them as cheap labor
2. Not to transform their culture
In 1841, Russians abandoned the site because:
1. Fur trade had not been lucrative in many years
2. Cold weather and pests yielded low yields of crops
3. English and Spanish challenged claims to the land
(Fort Ross Interpretive Association)
• Many of the structures at
Fort Ross were destroyed over
time (Fort Ross State Historic
Park)
• Today, the Rotchev House is
the only remaining original
structure and has also achieved
National Landmark status (Fort
Ross State Historic Park)
The Kashaya Pomo
• The Kashaya were the first known people to have settled in the region (The
First People, Fort Ross)
• Roughly 1,500 Kashaya Pomo occupied the region before Russian
colonization (The First People, Fort Ross)
Kashaya women’s
headdress
Kashaya men’s dance headdress
Abalone shell necklace
The Kashaya Pomo were skilled artisans
especially in the craft of basket-weaving
(The First People, Fort Ross)
Diet: Abalone and
mussel shellfish,
fish, sea mammals
(The First People, Fort
Ross).
The Kashaya Pomo usual
diets also comprised of
nuts, berries, acorn, seeds,
and deer (The First People,
Fort Ross)
Muted Voices of the Past
• There are few documents describing the interactions between the local
indigenous people, the Russians, and the Aleuts
• However, most of the history comes from first-hand Russian accounts
and oral tradition of the Kashaya Pomo (“Native Responses to the Russian
Mercantile Company at Fort Ross”)
•The Kashaya Pomo did not have a written language when the Russians
arrived
Collaborative Archaeology Now:
• It incorporates people from different backgrounds and
perspectives aiming to benefit both archaeologists and
indigenous people and other stakeholders (“Archaeology
and Indians: Thawing an Icy Relationship” 39)
• Collaborative archaeology involves not only just asking
about their pasts, but also making them a part of the
research process. (“Archaeology of the Seventh
Generation”)
• Archaeologists must ask how their research benefits the
community and the local people.
Collaborative Archaeology at Fort Ross:
At Fort Ross, Professor Lightfoot and
his students, the Kashaya Pomo
natives including Otis Parrish, state
park rangers and archaeologists
collaborated in the research objectives
and process. (Collaboration: The Future
of the Study of the Past” 28)
• Compromise is
important in order to
respect the views of the
native tribes and other
stakeholders involved. At
Fort Ross, the Kashaya
Pomo had various taboos
and beliefs that all must
follow: (“Archaeology of
the Seventh Generation”)
• site must be treated as a living
organism
• cultural rules will be followed
• no alcohol
• women on their menstrual cycle
(Khela) are not allowed to work
• project will be low impact
• Native peoples are integral components to many
excavations.
• Archaeologists are becoming increasingly more
involved with local stakeholders and public outreach
programs.
•This helps maintain the once silent Native American
voice.
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