4/29 Anthro 2AC Lecture

150 Wheeler Hall

Publice Research and Education

Ends with dissemination. Protecting archaeological record, crucial have support of public
funding. Effectiveness depends on public attitudes of past. 30-40 years increasingly
specialized, site reports aimed at narrow audience. Divide between archaeologists and
public. New focus on public archaeology/outreach.

Kashay Pomo interpretive trail (reading)

Bring all together, outcome of collaborative research-berkeley, kashay, and state parks.
To help interpret archaological resources at fort ross. Kashay pomo not happy with
current interpretive programFort is reconstructive of stockade focuses on Russian
colonial history, interpretation focuses on Russian elite managers. Bring in school kids
and recreate what life was like- focus on Russians making butter and candles. Didn’t
mention that hoe to native calfiornians and Alaskans. In reality stockade never attacked
and cannons never fired
Port at bodega bay, fort stretched beyond the walls. What see today is bounded by
stockade.
Number of other sites aside from stockade. Ethnic Russians, native Alaskans, and
kashaya pomo had different village sites to north. A lot of other kashaya pomo sites. Past
ridge line other kashaya sites where a lot were living.
Fort started to do reconstructed in 1950s. disbelief that Russians on American soil, forgot
about fact that when Russians came it was kashaya pomo territory.
Worked with elders to report oral histories and investigate other sites. Develop alternative
interpretation. Interpretive trail takes visitors outside walls of stockade. Where most
people living there were living and working. Kashaya Pomo and Coast Miwok living
further out. Miltiple lines of evidence. Sign posts, written accounts. Lithic scatters,
small shell middens, small village sites.
Trail 2 diff loops. E focus on different neighborhoods. W look onto coastal bluff show
other sites out on landscape.
Surface survey , surface testing, consulted with Kashaya Pomo. 2007 excavations along
north wall of stockade where kashaya living. Downplay militaristic history of highlight
kashaya pomo

Major Themes in Course

Strengths of Archaeology- examine change in continuity on macro scale and micro scale.
Examine history over course on 1000s or years or look at brief occupation/use of
particular feature. Different scales operate both time and space. Democratizes the past-
discovery materials from rich + poor that history usually neglects. Construc
interpreatations about how people living in past. Look at everyday people who are
invisible in historical record. People left out of written history. Selective biased
representation of past. Employing all different lines create more holistic and nuianced
representation
Challenges of archaeology
Differential preservation of material culture. Bog people. Old things can be preserved
extremely well. Organic material remains don’t preserve very well, skewed sample.
Palimpsests smearing together of archaeological remains- Emeryville shellmound. Native
people, paint factory, bay street shopping complex. Looking at landscape think about
what was occurring behind streets buildings. Modification of landscape occurring today

History of Archaeology
Antiquarians. Cyrus Thomas. Changed into diff theoretical orientations. Different
methods. Culture history, processual, and post procesual. How different methods
employed to answer questions changed over time. No matter what theoretical orientation
is, basic steps are the same. Requires research design- plan for implementing problem
oriented research deisgned to answer specific question of past. Before start digging
thinking about problems, what kind of remains will answer question how to implement
research

Data acquisition
Survey, excavation, museum research
Regional survey, excavation (sub surface deposits) museum research- chalk full of
artifacts previous archaeologists excavated. Go back and use material to answer new
questions
Explicit sampling strategies, developing methodology. Contexts need to think about to
construct interpretations

Archaeological analysis. Dating- chronology, seriation, dendrochronolgy, obsidian

hydration, C12 radiocarbon dating. Absolute dating (obsidian, c14, dnedro) and relative
dating (seriation). Look at paleoethnobotany, x ray fluorescent. Choose lab methods
based on research problems addressing. Budget and time constraints

Interpretation in archaeology
Left with just data. Most challenging part is making interpretations, breathe life into
archaeological record. Ethnoarchaeology, experimental, ethnographic provide insights
into lives of past people. Could be multiple interpretations about the past. Based on
different theroretical approaches. Looking at diff emic perspectives about different
people living at site.
Making interpretations always situated in present, exists in out time have to be self
reflexive. Bringing our own biases to interpretation about the past. Recognize socio
politics, relationship between universities, states, stakeholders. All people with different
goals

Collaboration and public outreach

Imp stakeholders are descendent communities local communities culturally or genetically
related need to be involved in archaeological processes. Healthy experience to work with
them. Tensions that exist- scientific colonialism university researchers. Take info away,
extract it. NAGPRA legis to rectify issues of scientific colinialism tribes have
opportunity to take back, tribal museums archaeology can play into people retaking back.
Pos collaborative relationships. Reach out to public, publication of results. Archaeolgists
help to creation of museusm need to try better job of connecting people.
California Archaeology
A lot of different things to explore. Pre-contact. Native ca with Russians and Spanish.
Mexican period, ranchos, early Chinese, early anglo
Ancient channel islands 13000
Shell mounds
Fort ross, missions
Chinese am archaeology, west Oakland
Different ways to learn about California past
Work in Amazon
West Virginia