Kent Lightfoot receives the David A. Fredrickson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for California Archaeology, April 2021
In a virtual ceremony on Wednesday April 28, 2021, Professor Kent Lightfoot (Anthropology and Archaeological Research Facility) received the David A. Fredrickson Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society for California Archaeology as determined by a unanimous vote by the SCA's Board of Directors.
Lightfoot has been carrying out pioneering archaeological research in California since joining the Berkeley Anthropology faculty in 1987. Dr. Lightfoot’s research has emphasized the collaboration of working with Native Americans in the greater San Francisco Bay Area to bring the past to light, and to make it relevant to today’s indigenous populations and archaeologists. The nomination stressed not only the numerous and impactful publications authored and directed by Lightfoot, including key studies on the multi-ethnic communities at Fort Ross, on the legacies of colonial encounters in California and the differential impacts on native groups, on environmental issues in the lives of native Californians. and on challenging the divide between prehistory and history in archaeological practice. The nomination also stressed the impressive mentoring of Kent Lightfoot with notable emphasis on the many students who are indigenous scholars or working in indigenous archaeology, listing at least 20 such PhD students who have quite literally changed the landscape of archaeology in California and beyond.
His work in partnering with various tribes but also with state and federal agencies, such as California State Parks and the National Park Service, has set new models and standards for collaborative research. With his research partner, archaeologist Roberta Jewett, they have generated field research projects that take seriously the important role of indigenous burning practices in protecting and nourishing California landscapes. As well, Lightfoot has assisted with the development and work of the Amah Mutsun tribal Land Trust. That he would be the recipient of an award named for one of California's most important archeologists, Dave Fredrickson, is of particular note, as Dave was a special and encouraging mentor when Kent first arrived on the scene of California archaeology some thirty-plus years ago.
Lastly, no one should be surprised that Kent was named "Best Professor" in a recent Daily Cal story: https://www.dailycal.org/2021/04/15/best-of-berkeley-campus-2021/
