Archaeology Summer Field Program

x̌ʷiq̓ʷix̌ʷalqʷuʔ (Blue Water) Project

The x̌ʷiq̓ʷix̌ʷalqʷuʔ Project is an indigenous-led partnership between the Stillaguamish Tribe Cultural Department and the Department of Anthropology at Western Washington University. The research goals, methods, and products of the program center on tribal priorities. The project will focus on the basic field methods implemented in cultural resource management and academic archaeology as well as collaborative skills necessary for community-based participatory research. Capacity building is a central goal of this collaboration, particularly in creating opportunities for tribal members and indigenous-identified students in archaeological practice, including undergraduate and graduate degree programs and professional positions in academia, heritage resource management, and historic preservation. The broader goal of the program is to foster a more open and inclusive approach to archaeology based on active partnership and respect for the sovereignty of indigenous peoples over their own past.