Archaeologists make a point of taking to locals all around the world. In most cases, you simply won't excavate if the locals don't want to talk.

I had a British farmer once locate a medieval path through his land. The documentary evidence already suggested it was in his field and he knew where his plow had found a lot of rocks. We dug a trench and found a beautiful cobblestone path inside.

Growing up in Native American territory, there is much known by locals they don't share, and many sites are known but kept secret and sacred.