María Nieves Zedeño

María Nieves Zedeño is a Professor of Anthropology and Research Anthropologist at the Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology (BARA) at the University of Arizona. Her work integrates archaeology, ethnohistory, and ethnography to address contemporary cultural preservation needs of Native American communities, emphasizing Indigenous Archaeology that combines non-Western worldviews with conventional frameworks. She focuses on traditional land use, territoriality, and hunter-gatherer societies in North America, particularly among Pueblo, Numic, Algonquian, and Blackfoot groups.

Her research has secured funding from federal and private sources, enabling collaborative projects with numerous tribes. Notable contributions include studies on Blackfoot territoriality, bison hunting economies, and cultural landscapes. She teaches courses such as Anthropology of North America and Archaeology and Descendant Communities, and has advised over 30 graduate students.

Zedeño’s work bridges academia and community application through projects like the Blackfoot Early Origins initiative and the Kutoyis Archaeological Project. Her publications explore topics ranging from genomic analyses of Blackfoot persistence to the symbolic role of painted tipis. She advocates for Indigenous perspectives in archaeology, emphasizing ethical collaboration and cultural revitalization.