Sarah Trabert is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Kansas, she always loved the Great Plains and chose to focus on this area of the country for her research. Her work examines the myriad of ways that Native peoples living on the Plains respond to the continued impacts of European colonialism. Her research begins in the 16th century and continues through the 21st century spanning very early contacts between Native American groups and Europeans through to the creative ways that Tribes navigate U.S. Federal policies.
She along with co-author Kacy Hollenback wrote a book in 2021, Archaeological Narratives of the North American Great Plains: From Ancient Pasts to Historic Resettlement, on contemporary perspectives on Great Plains archaeology that stresses the importance for all North American archaeologists, regardless of the time period in which they work, to understand the contact period, Indigenous survivance and persistence, and the histories of contemporary descendant communities.
She strongly believes collaborating with descendant communities and involving students and local community members in her work. Please contact her if you are interested in volunteering on one of her projects.
The University of Oklahoma Department of Anthropology has MA and PhD programs—please see their website for more information on applications and expectations.
Current Graduate Students:
Elizabeth Crisp, MA student
Hayden Montandon, MA student
Jeremiah Perkins, MA student
Jennifer Williams, MA student
Recent grads:
Michael Krause, MA in 2022, now a Research Associate with K-State-Fort Riley Archaeology