3rd November 2010, 08:01 PM
No, its about respecting another peoples culture- some countries spend a lot a time on experimental archaeology. In Australia you can actually watch people using traditions that have been passed down each generation for at least the last 40,000 years. Also the belief systems behind methods that you cannot define from the archaeological record (ever heard an experimental archaeologist say that the choice of stone he is knapping was because it was pregnant and ready to give birth? Try sliding that one in your next eval find report. Also, it creates a bridge/understanding/ and trust between a generally European practice and an possible suspicious indigenous community (why do you want to know how long we've lived here?). Further, it may also encourage indigenous students to study or at least understand, appreciate archaeological/anthropological research.