Archeological and other Cultural Resource Types

The NPS recognizes five categories of cultural resources for management purposes: archeology, cultural landscapes, structures and installations, museum objects, and ethnographic resources. When present, archeological and other cultural resources may be integral to wilderness character and a reason for wilderness designation. NPS wilderness known for iconic archeological resources include Bandelier, Mesa Verde, and Hawai'i Volcanoes Wilderness.

This section of Archeological and Other Cultural Resources and Wilderness provides an overview of archeological resources and ways that archeology may be a component of other cultural resource management categories.

Archeological Resources

Archeological resources are the material remains of past human activity. Archeological resources are typically buried, but may extend above ground. They are commonly associated with people who are distant from us in time, but may be products of more contemporary society. Examples of archeological resources that may be found in wilderness include:

• Commercial fishery sites
• Ancestral Puebloan sites
• Native American stone quarries

More information about archeology is available on the NPS Archeology Program website.

Archeological Resources and Cultural Landscapes

Cultural landscapes are settings that humans have created in the natural world. They reveal fundamental ties between people and land. Cultural landscapes encompass structures and installations that are a part of a defined landscape. Archeological resources may be an integral component of a cultural landscape. Examples of archeological resources that may be found in wilderness cultural landscapes include:

• Cemeteries
• Abandoned historic settlements
• Trails and other transportation vestiges
• Native American settlements.

More information about cultural landscapes is available on the NPS Park Cultural Landscape website.

Archeological Resources and Structures and Installations

Structures and installations are constructed objects that extend the limits of human capability. They can be movable or immovable, and can include archeological resources. The NPS may consider above ground structures and installations as both archeological resources and historic structures. Archeological deposits may be important components of historic structures, and the potential for the presence of archeological resources must be considered when planning treatment measures. Examples of historic structures and installations potentially including archeological resources that may be found in wilderness include:

• Cabins
• Cairns (prehistoric and historic)
• Mining equipment, tailings, and adits
• Native American mounds

Archeological Museum Objects and Collections

Museum objects are physical manifestations and records of human behavior and ideas. Wilderness areas may be the origin of archeological collections that are important for understanding current physical characteristics of the wilderness. Museum collections of archeological interest may also include natural resources specimens that are collected under a scientific research and collecting permit that are permanently retained in park collections. One example of natural resource specimens of archeological interest is tree-ring samples, collected to aid in development of a chronological sequence of site occupation.

While museum collections are usually not physically located in wilderness, they are an important source of information about the history of land currently designated a wilderness area. Examples of archeologically important museum objects that may be associated with wilderness include:

• Personal papers of people who lived and worked in now-designated wilderness
• Material remains from archeological and historical sites located in wilderness
• Archeological management records created while conducting research on wilderness lands, including records acquired from non-NPS researchers holding a Permit for Archeological Investigations.

More information about museum objects is available on the NPS Museum Management Program website.

Archeology and Ethnographic Resources

Ethnographic resources are basic expressions of human culture, and the basis for the continuity of cultural systems. Tangible ethnographic resources are the cultural and natural features of a park, including archeological features, that are of significance to traditionally associated peoples.

Traditionally Associated Peoples

Traditionally associated peoples are "social/cultural entities such as tribes, communities, and kinship units, as well as park neighbors, traditional residents, and former residents who remain attached to a park area despite having relocated" (NPS Management Policies 2006: Glossary).

Groups are "traditionally associated" with a particular park when:

the entity regards park resources as essential to its development and continued identity as a culturally distinct people;
the association has endured for at least two generations (40 years); and
the association began prior to establishment of the park.

Traditionally associated peoples have significant and unique ties to park resources through burial sites and memorials, migration routes, subsistence resources and activities, ceremonies, and group origin sites and other cultural resources.

Archeological resources may be an important element for establishing the longevity and legitimacy of wilderness ethnographic resources. Examples of tangible ethnographic resources with potential archeological components that may be found in wilderness areas include:

• Traditional sacred places
• Locations with important associations for families and extended families who themselves colonized or lived in that area (including settlements, cemeteries, and cleared fields).
• Sources of materials and organisms needed for traditional activities, including subsistence activities.

More information about ethnographic resources is available on the NPS Ethnography Program website.