Abigail Thomsen

Indigenous archaeology, public archaeology, museums, descendant-centered landscape interpretation.

Abby is a current graduate student of archaeology under Dr. Sonya Atalay and Dr. Haeden Stewart. She draws upon her experience in CRM archaeology, NAGPRA, and museum collections to bring a descendant-centered approach to archaeological landscape interpretation. Her collaborative work with Dakota communities in what is now Minnesota is an example of how she uses archaeology as a tool to connect the public to the many stories of the land they inhabit. She believes that strong connections to land, history, and people create strong communities.

• 2020. Thomsen, Abigail R, Beyond 106: Descendant-centered Collaboration to Interpret Dakota Archaeological Sites at Macalester’s Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area (KONHSA), Anthropology Honors Project, Macalester College. In preparation, Legge, S.S., A.R. Thomsen, and E.P. Fleming, Pine Bend Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Pine Bend Bluffs Scientific and Natural Area, Dakota County, Minnesota, report in preparation, Macalester College and Science Museum of Minnesota.