Book Review: Decolonizing Indigenous Histories Exploring Prehistoric/Colonial Transitions in Archaeology by Maxine Oland, Siobhan M. Hart, and Liam Frink

Bertha Miller

Abstract

This book review examines "Decolonizing Indigenous Histories: Exploring Prehistoric/Colonial Transitions in Archaeology," an anthology edited by Maxine Oland, Siobhan M. Hart, and Liam Frink. The review highlights the book's challenge to the conventional understanding of colonization as solely a post-1492 European phenomenon. It emphasizes the editors' and contributors' approach of analyzing colonization as a long-standing process of transition and invasion that affected Fourth World peoples globally, well before the modern era. The anthology employs a multi-cultural and geographic perspective, with case studies from North America, Africa, Australia, and Central and South America. Authors like Enrique Rodriquez-Alegria and Alistar Paterson explore how indigenous societies developed diverse strategies to navigate external intrusions, using examples from Méxica (Aztec) colonization and interpretations of rock art. The review commends the book for its focus on the scale of social memory, practice, tradition, and community, moving beyond colonizer-centric narratives. It suggests that understanding pre-European incursions and the continuous process of invasion can offer a more accurate explanation of contemporary indigenous responses and conditions. The review concludes by acknowledging the social scientists' efforts to open a dialogue that Fourth World peoples should now join.