The implications of Indigenous conceptual frameworks and methods for rethinking humanness as performance

This is a commentary on a paper by John Barrett, titled 'Humanness as performance'. Firstly, we address a core question raised by Barrett: ‘who is best situated to understand the material in the way suggested: those who engage with the material itself or those who treat the material recovered as a record requiring interpretation?’ We do this by drawing on our work with Aboriginal people in Australia. Secondly, we consider the implications in terms of living in a material world. Thirdly, we consider the interconnections between tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Finally, we agree with Barrett that defining archaeology as the ‘discipline of things’ has the potential to divert us from understanding how an archaeological commitment to other forms of humanity might be practiced.