One of the most important people in North American archaeology was a Black cowboy named George McJunkin, who was born in Texas, enslaved, prior to the end of the Civil War. George discovered the first Folsom kill site but was virtually ignored while he was alive. 1/

Once the site was finally formally excavated by (white) archaeologists, years after George had died, George's significant part in finding it, recognizing its significance, and promoting it to a mostly unlistening archaeological establishment (primarily in CO), was ignored. 2/

At least until recently following a book that was published about his life. I spend a full day lecturing about George when I do intro courses because his life and story reveal so strongly the internalized and institutionalized racism present in the US as well as in archaeology.3/

It highlights things like Texas' slave past, racial heterogeneity in the West that Hollywood has whitened for a 100yrs, how life experience is as valuable as theoretical knowledge, and archaeology's complicity in both ignoring and then co-opting Black labor (really most POC). fin

If you want to learn more about George, @TheRoot has a great overview. https://www.theroot.com/george-mcjunkin-how-a-black-man-s-archaeological-disco-1790859627