8Discourses of the Haunted: An Intersubjective Approach to Archaeology at the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School

Abstract

This chapter explores “haunting” as a way to conceptualize and engage with the traumatic events of the United States Federal Indian Boarding School era. The goal is to create an intersectional and intersubjective approach that does not seek singular explanations, but leaves room for diversity of memory—a core principle in feminist indigenous theory. Bringing together archaeological, archival, and oral data, we tell three stories of perseverance that have come to light from community-based heritage work. In this manner, archaeology has the power to facilitate community healing and decolonize women's experiences at the Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School.