Archaeologists and development have a complicated relationship. Because of development, archaeologists are presented with fantastic opportunities to document and recover sites that they otherwise would have left untouched. It provides them with a greater understanding of certain areas as well as a more vast lexicon of knowledge that may be applied to other archaeological projects or even another area of study. Then there is the tourism aspect. This can mean both good and bad for a community, which reflects upon the archaeologists since they are usually at the forefront of the development process. This is the downside of development. It can sometimes give archaeologists a bad name. Development of dams, pipelines or commercial housing is usually received badly by most communities. They do not want largely disruptive developments on their communities. In some cases, it even destroys indigenous peoples’ sacred sites, which can be seen in the movie “Standing on Sacred Ground: Pilgrims and Tourists”. The Wintu people of California are opposed to the building of a dam because it would destroy places they hold sacred.
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