Understanding the political role that archaeological interpretation has played in the discipline has been the topic that Duke has explored in more than 15 years of research. His work has resulted in the publication of five books and 73 papers, manuscripts, reports, book reviews and journals. But while conducting research on the Plains Indians and prehistoric Southwestern tribes in the early 1980s, something began to gnaw at him. Such a philosophy has led to a new, more inclusive approach when it comes to archaeological interpretations of the past. For example, western scientists conveniently divide archaeology into prehistoric and historic archaeology.
Prehistory is that which occurred before the appearance of writing.
History is what occurred afterward. But Native American societies don't like that dividing line, because it implies that they don't have a history. Making that distinction between prehistoric and historic eras is a political statement that sends subliminal messages about what are important agents of change in the past. Today, more and more scientists are incorporating Native American tribal world views in the preservation and interpretation of archaeological sites. Duke was honored by the Colorado Historical Society with the 1998 Stephen H. Hart Preservation Award for his work with tribes in the interpretation of archaeological sites.