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Bio

Kelton M. Sheridan is an anthropological archaeologist whose primary areas of interest include Indigenous responses to colonialism in North America and collaborative and community-based archaeology. Her recent research focuses on Indigenous ceramics of the 18^th century Mission Espada in San Antonio, Texas and its associated ranch, Rancho de las Cabras. By tracing long-term changes and continuities of Indigenous ceramic practices of central Texas, her work uses archaeological data to show the persistence in Indigenous traditional knowledge before and during colonialism. Sheridan foregrounds her work with a community-based approach, working alongside descendants of the San Antonio Mission Indians to bring them into the research on their own ancestors.

Sheridan is also a co-director of the , a collaborative archaeological project in Paint Rock, Texas that brings together Coahuilteco, Lipan Apache, and Comanche tribal communities with local landowning families to conduct field-based research. In hopes of expanding this model of engagement between private landowners and Indigenous communities in Texas (a state where 95%+ of the land is privately owned), Sheridan sits on the board of the (EPARG), a non-profit focused on education, preservation, and stewardship of Indigenous archaeological sites in Texas. To continue developing good relationships with Texas landowners and archaeologists, Sheridan also volunteers with the , an organization that does outreach and education about archaeological resources at agricultural and conservation conferences, farm and ranch shows, and cattle conventions.

Research Interests

Missions • Colonialism • Indigenous Texas • Ceramics • Collaborative and Community-based Archaeology