FROM A SCHOLAR’S VIEWPOINT:
FOSTERING HOLISTIC STUDENT EXPERIENCES D r. Justin Lund (Diné, pictured below), an Indigenous anthropologist from Ganado, Arizona, returns year after year to Crow Canyon to serve as an Indigenous Scholar in Residence. It’s a role he loves and, as one of fewer than a dozen Navajo anthropologists in the U.S., it’s a role he hopes will encourage other Native students to enter the field. Dr. Susan Ryan, Executive Vice President of Crow Canyon’s Research Institute, started the Indigenous Scholars in Residence program in 2017 to supplement the knowledge gained by College Field School students with more voices and diverse perspectives. Crow Canyon aims to create an environment where students get a more expansive version of Indigenous histories across the nation and specifically the Southwest. “We need to offer a more holistic understanding of modern and past cultures, and not solely from a Western point of view,” explained Susan. “Everyone’s history matters. Making sure
In 2024, there were five Indigenous Scholars at Crow Canyon, including Justin. Each brought their own area of expertise, and their own perspectives, helping to broaden students’ ways of thinking and knowing. According to Susan, the program has been incredibly successful. “Not only did it bring a holistic view, but it has facilitated all kinds of conversations about ethics, collaboration, and working with people, not on them. Students are impacted by the conversations they have with the Scholars. Indigenous people should be teaching about their ancestors, the past, and their perspectives on archaeology and the discipline and how it needs to change.” As a long-time Indigenous Scholar, Justin keeps coming back because “I wholeheartedly believe in the way Crow Canyon does archaeology,” he shared. “I appreciate that the organization offers a welcome and facilitated entrance into archaeology for students that’s not a harsh environment or rough experience, especially as we’re trying to diversify the field and bring in more Native perspectives.” n
history is represented and taught by the people who live it is very impactful.”
CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER
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