Buck Woodard

Buck Woodard is a cultural anthropologist at American University specializing in historical and applied research, with a focus on ethnographic and ethnohistorical writing. He investigates indigenous North American societies, particularly Algonquian and Iroquoian communities in Oklahoma, New York, and Virginia.

• Ph.D. in Historical Anthropology, College of William & Mary
• M.A. in Cultural Anthropology, College of William & Mary
• B.F.A. in Craft and Material Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University

His research spans cosmology and ritual life, heritage tourism, kinship, material culture, and political economy. He explores decolonization through collaborative archaeology, tribal sovereignty, and revitalization of language and foodways. His work contributes to the Replanting Cultures edited volume (2022).

Recent publications highlight decolonization, tribal activism, and material culture studies. Grants include National Park Service (2016, 2019, 2021) and Conservation Fund (2019) funding. He won a News and Documentary Emmy® (2020) for scenic design on the Smithsonian Channel’s America’s Hidden Stories.

• Co-authored Building the Brafferton (2019), analyzing America’s Indian School
• Directed Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s American Indian Initiative (2008–16)
• Chair of Virginia Indian Advisory Board's State Recognition Workgroup under Governors Northam and Youngkin

His interdisciplinary collaborations involve museums (Ashmolean Museum, Muscarelle Museum of Art) and film/TV consultancies (History Channel, Smithsonian Channel).