How does the National Park Service use Ethnographic Research?
The National Park Service uses ethnographic research to perform a variety of tasks. The website of the Ethnography Program of the NPS gives a detailed explanation of the types of things ethnographers do for NPS. The specific research studies conducted by ethnographic researchers as outlined in the Cultural Resources Management Guide are:
- Ethnographic Overview and Assessment—comprehensive background study that reviews information on park resources traditionally valued by stakeholders.
- Traditional Use Study—describes and analyses traditional resource use and management regimes.
- Rapid Ethnographic Assessment—performed within a limited amount of time to gather information on how actions such as establishing a new park may affect group resources and traditions.
- Ethnohistory—documents continuity and change in a group traditionally associated with a park.
- Oral and Life History—documents individual and community ways of life as they relate to a park.
- Ethnographic Landscape Study—limited field survey to identify and describe the names, locations, distributions, and meanings of ethnographic landscape features.
- Cultural Affiliation and Lineal Descent Studies—affiliation study to show the relationship between parks and associated past and present peoples. [DO 28:174–176]
For a detailed description of each type of study, see Research Tools on the Ethnography Program’s website
There are also examples of ethnographic research conducted for the NPS. They include, but are not limited to:
- Calloway, Donald. Methods Used in Ethnographic Inquiry in Alaska.
- Crespi, Muriel (Miki). A Brief Ethnography of Magnolia Plantation: Planning for Cane River Creole National Historic Park.
- Lawson Clark, Sherri. Conducting Ethnographic Research: Strategies and Lessons Learned in African American Communities.
- Schoepfle, Mark. Ethnographic Resources Inventory and the National Park Service.
- Williams, Brett. Rapid Ethnographic Assessment: Park Users and Neighbors, Civil War Defenses of Washington and Anacostia Park, District of Colombia, For Park Management Plans.
