Looking back, looking forward: Resilience and persistence in a Klamath tribal community

•Replacing the terminal narrative of Native American culture with themes of resilience and survivance.•Using archaeology to demonstrate selective adoption and adaptation of new materials and practices by a Native (Klamath) community as they negotiated a place between ancient traditions and the new social realities and government-promoted policies in a colonial context.•Review of Klamath tribal history from prehistoric to modern times, including reservation, allotment, termination, and restoration eras.