Making connections through archaeology: Partnering with communities and teachers in the National Park Service

Abstract

The US National Park Service (NPS) has been a leader in the USA in developing interdisciplinary and more holistic approaches to education and public interpretation of heritage.With both a protection and education mandate, the agency regards interpretation as "a distinct profession encompassing a philosophical framework that combines the essence of the past with the dynamism of the present to shape the future" (NPS IDP, 2006). NPS has championed the teachings and philosophy of Freeman Tilden (1977) who defined the art and process of public interpretation. To NPS, Tilden defined interpretation as a separate discipline and gave it form. Tilden's principles stressed: relevance of the interpretive message to the experience of the visitor; interpretation as revelation and provocation; interpretation as art form; telling whole story rather than a part; and interpretive as a separate, but undiluted, story to younger audiences. He advocated giving citizens the power to make informed decisions about environmental and economic issues, with the effective interpreter seen as an information giver who allows the information receiver to decide what is important and what to do about it. In this chapter, I present an overview of NPS initiatives in the public interpretation and archaeology at national and regional levels, along with examples of exemplary programs at selected parks. These cases demonstrate that, as NPS standards and programs evolve, efforts expand to facilitate connections between students and the public at large with resource meanings, providing more holistic interpretations that embrace inclusiveness and ethnic sensitivity.