DeDunking is wrong about archaeology funding

Dan Richards of the YouTube channel DeDunking is a self-described alternate historian, and is particularly unhappy with the Society for American Archaeology. In an open letter to president-elect Donald Trump, Dan asked for the SAA’s federal funding to be removed. Unfortunately Dan’s error-filled letter is based on a complete misunderstanding of the SAA. This video shows how DeDunking is wrong about archaeology funding in the US.

DeDunking. “De-Platform & Defund the Society for American Archaeology Open Letter.” YouTube, 30 December 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhPuVyRqkXY.

———. “Post from DeDunking.” YouTube, 30 December 2024. https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxVZJU23fVfhTiD-DUU_kNRqvEs8i1cFzO.

Krafton, Kelsie. “Final Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021.” American Astronomical Society, 26 January 2021. https://aas.org/posts/advocacy/2021/01/final-appropriations-fiscal-year-2021.

Palarq, Fundación. “172 Spanish Projects in Archaeology and Paleontology Receive Funding from the Palarq Foundation.” Fundación Palarq, 21 November 2022. https://fundacionpalarq.com/en/172-spanish-projects-in-archaeology-and-paleontology-receive-funding-from-the-palarq-foundation/.

Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon. “Society For American Archaeology – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/526046203.

Rocks-Macqueen. “Society for American Archaeology 990 Form.” Doug’s Archaeology, 17 September 2012. https://dougsarchaeology.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/society-for-american-archaeology-990-form/.

Ross. “Show Me the Money: A Timeline of Key Steps in the Appropriations Process.” Progressive Caucus Center, 8 February 2023. https://www.progressivecaucuscenter.org/appropriations-timeline.

Society for the Archaeology of the Americas. “Statement of the Society for American Archaeology for Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations,” 26 May 2022.

US Department of State. “Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the United States – United States Department of State.” US Government, 30 January 2025. https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/releases/2025/01/non-governmental-organizations-ngos-in-the-united-states.

Xie, Crystal. “Abandoned Bank Vault.” Crystal Xie, n.d. https://crystalxie.artstation.com/projects/18E8VG.

“About Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax | Internal Revenue Service,” 30 January 2025. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-990.

“About SAA.” Society for American Archaeology, 1 January 2025. https://www.saa.org/quick-nav/about-saa.

“Big Pile 100 Us Dollar Notes Stock Illustration 2182558575.” Shutterstock, n.d. https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/big-pile-100-us-dollar-notes-2182558575.

“Budget.” U.S. Department of the Interior, 17 July 2015. https://www.doi.gov/wildlandfire/budget.

“Budget Process.” National Priorities Project, n.d. https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/federal-budget-process/.

“Federal Internships.” Society for American Archaeology, 30 January 2025. https://www.saa.org/career-practice/federal-internships.

“Government Affairs.” Society for American Archaeology, 1 January 2025. https://www.saa.org/government-affairs.

“Scholarships and Grants for Archaeologists.” Society for American Archaeology, 30 January 2025. https://www.saa.org/career-practice/Scholarships-and-Grants.

Relevant tweets

Dan Richards The DeDunker aka SuperSexyD [@DeDunkingPast]. “Dear President Elect Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump and Head of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk @elonmusk , Science Has Long Been One of the Cornerstones of the Advancement of Society. Technological Innovations Are Not the Only Reason Why. Science Has Also.” Tweet. Twitter, 29 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873502438566908353.

———. “Dear President Elect Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump and Head of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk @elonmusk , Science Has Long Been One of the Cornerstones of the Advancement of Society. Technological Innovations Are Not the Only Reason Why. Science Has Also.” Tweet. Twitter, 29 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873502438566908353.

———. “@farmer_tr @KnugenafLind @jtlewis_arch That Doesn’t Account for the Nearly Half Billion a Year They Beg from The Feds. Https://Documents.Saa.Org/Container/Docs/Default-Source/Doc-Governmentaffairs/Final_fy2023_testimony.Pdf?Sfvrsn=c654c81c_2 Https://T.Co/9YuqsjnzFF.” Tweet. Twitter, 1 January 2025. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1874350707421401164.

———. “Join Me at 2:30 Pacific Time, about 1 Hour and 15 Minutes from Now, for My Latest Video. Sure to Make American Archeologists Love Me Even More than They Already Do. I’ll Be in the Chat, Hope to See You There! Https://Youtube.Com/Watch?v=QhPuVyRqkXY Https://T.Co/8hmzowETHB.” Tweet. Twitter, 29 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873479229666726317.

———. “@jtlewis_arch Does the SAA Control the Funding? Then They Control It as Far as I’m Concerned. Watch My Video and See My Comments on This before Assuming I’m Made a Mistake. I Know I’ll Get Half a Nickel from You, but You Already Offer Little so at Least This Is Tangible.” Tweet. Twitter, 1 January 2025. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1874367976696406031.

———. “@jtlewis_arch Go F*** Yourself with That Intellectually Dishonest Sh*t. Why Did Serpent Mound Decide to Ban Hancock from Filming? Who ‘informed’ Them of His ‘Wrongthink’? The SAA Is a Political Organization with Some Ties to Science. Defund It until People like You Man up and Take.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873781644869656627.

———. “@jtlewis_arch I Bet That’s Wrong, Almost All Non-Commercial Archaeological Funding in the US Goes through Them. So Unless You’re Pure CRM…” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873787795338387824.

———. “@jtlewis_arch I Do Love How You’ll Focus on Proving Me Wrong, While You Claim to Want to Reform the SAA from within… Your Money Ain’t Where Your Mouth Is. As I Said, the SAA Is the Lion’s Share of Funding. The NSF Is a Fraction of It by Comparison. Your Own Link Shows This.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873791705734091116.

———. “@jtlewis_arch I Don’t Need You to Agree with Me Dimwit, Common Sense Says They Were the Culprits. Your Refusal to Admit This Sort of Thing… Well, F*** Your Funding until You Get Honest :).” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873784558187171848.

———. “@jtlewis_arch Nope, It Is Requesting a Scientific Body Clean Its House, or Lose Its Taxpayer Funding. If the Smaller Places like Serpent Mound (Who the SAA Corrupted against Graham Btw, Using Taxpayer Funding) Need Money, They Don’t Need the SAA to Middleman That. And If YOU Spent More Time.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873779844087164970.

———. “@jtlewis_arch Someone Told Serpent and Cahokia Mounds Not to Allow Graham to Film. Hoopes, Dibble, or the SAA as a Body? You Know Who Did It, as Do I. Go Clean Your House, If You Want More of My Tax Dollars.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873782913558524204.

———. “@jtlewis_arch The NSF Makes up a Small Fraction of the Funding the SAA Gets.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873791137099792397.

———. “@jtlewis_arch The SAA’s Fiscal Year Reports Are Available on Their Website. With a Breakdown of What It’s for. Run along You Numb Nut.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873795740063121464.

———. “@jtlewis_arch Yes Jeff, Lets Argue about This Instead of Cleaning the SAA. The Majority of the Funding Comes from the SAA. Don’t like Me Saying That, Prove It Wrong. As It Is, You Proved SOME Other Money Is Used. Not Enough to Make My Claim False. If You Want to Dig in over This Instead of The.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873794572792545351.

———. “@jtlewis_arch You Can Say Im Wrong and Provide Evidence, and We Can Chat. You Just Say I’m Wrong, Claim to Be an Authority, and Then Accuse Me of Not Taking the Time to Research or Whatever When You Provide Nothing. The SAA Gets All the National Park Archaeological Funds and That Sort Of.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873789589414113631.

———. “@MckillopIa63724 @realDonaldTrump @elonmusk I Believe It, I Experienced Political Bias in College in the Early 2000’s, Long before Social Media Had Turned Humanity into Whatever the Hell We Have Now.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873839952427139526.

———. “Yes Jeff, Lets Argue about This Instead of Cleaning the SAA. The Majority of the Funding Comes from the SAA. Don’t like Me Saying That, Prove It Wrong. As It Is, You Proved SOME Other Money Is Used. Not Enough to Make My Claim False. If You Want to Dig in over This Instead of the SAA Stuff…. Well, Then You Leave the Reform of the SAA to People like Me. And I Say BURN THE THING DOWN. So Maybe, Just Maybe You Should Redirect Your Energy. Up to You :).” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873794572792545351.

———. “You Can Say Im Wrong and Provide Evidence, and We Can Chat. You Just Say I’m Wrong, Claim to Be an Authority, and Then Accuse Me of Not Taking the Time to Research or Whatever When You Provide Nothing. The SAA Gets All the National Park Archaeological Funds and That Sort of Thing, Then It Drip Feeds the Places That Need It. Look into It Skippy. Not like I Just Did Research on This or Anything.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/DeDunkingPast/status/1873789589414113631.

Jeffrey (JT) Lewis [@jtlewis_arch]. “@DeDunkingPast 1/ Nope. Hoopes, Dibble, and SAA as a Body Didn’t Talk to Them about Serpent Mound or Cahokia. None of Those Have Any Power over What Happens at Those Sites. So, Come on Dan… Show Me Where the SAA Letter Changed Public Opinion of Hancock? I Agree with You That Parts of The.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/jtlewis_arch/status/1873783957059412292.

———. “@DeDunkingPast 2/2 Letter Should Be Changed but You Said It Changed Public Opinion, so Prove It. Show Where Hoopes, Dibble, or the SAA as an Organization Kept Hancock out of Serpent Mounds or Cahokia? If You Do, I Will Agree with You.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/jtlewis_arch/status/1873784190250213418.

Reid Farmer (TR_Farmer_archaeology) [@farmer_tr]. “@KnugenafLind @jtlewis_arch @DeDunkingPast The SAA Doesn’t Take Any Money from the Government. It’s Funded by Member Dues, Publication Sales, and Conference Registrations. This Is Clearly Shown in Their IRS Filings of Form 990.” Tweet. Twitter, 1 January 2025. https://x.com/farmer_tr/status/1874302907048480939.

Rob Wright [@RobL4a1]. “@Graham__Hancock Dear @elonmusk and @realDonaldTrump, Nevermind. Hancock Did Say the Lost Civilization Was White. (Sorry about That SAA) Sincerely, Dan Richards 🤣🤣🤣 Https://T.Co/aOfiwQBdk8.” Tweet. Twitter, 30 December 2024. https://x.com/RobL4a1/status/1873717081633665154.

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