Developing a Community-Oriented, On-Campus Archaeological Project [Foundational Skills]
Presenter(s)
Maureece J. Levin, Ph.D., RPA, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Reecie Levin is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She completed her PhD and MA in Anthropology at the University of Oregon and a BA in Anthropology at Whitman College. Since 2023, she has led a public archaeology project on the UA Little Rock campus, which has integrated with undergraduate coursework, trained archaeological interns, welcomed over 30 volunteers in the field and the laboratory, and shared archaeology and aspects of land history with the university community.
Additionally, she has conducted archaeological and archaeobotanical work in Micronesia since 2008, where she addresses questions of ancient food cultivation and land management strategies in both high island and atoll environments. She has directed a field school on the island of Pohnpei and worked with community organizations and students. She has also conducted phytolith and starch research from materials around the world.
Course Description
Archaeological education today faces a variety of challenges. In the classroom context, it can be difficult to fully communicate to students what it is actually like to do archaeology. While we know that there are careers available for graduates, many students struggle to gain the field experience they need, as this often requires leaving home for weeks to attend an expensive field school. Additionally, the general public often only has a rudimentary understanding of what archaeology is in the first place, and some believe that archaeology is something that happens at far away monumental sites, not in their own backyard. The community-oriented campus archaeology project tackles these challenges head-on, creating opportunities for students to get valuable training and for community members to experience archaeology. It also has the added benefits of raising the profile of archaeology in the university setting, where we are often a small field that gets less attention, enhancing local knowledge of past land use, and potentially contributing to institutional history. This seminar is geared towards archaeologists who work in college and university settings and want to develop broadly accessible projects that combine teaching and scholarship. The instructor will discuss her own experience designing and running a public-facing, classroom-integrated campus archaeology project, with lessons learned along the way.
Cultural Protocols and Awareness in the Field [Deeper Digs]
Ashlyn Weaver, M.A., RPA, Northeast Information Center
Ashlyn K. Weaver is an anthropologist, archaeologist, educator, and GIS specialist whose research focuses on Native Hawaiian history, Indigenous knowledge systems, genealogy, and cultural sovereignty. She has an M.A. in Anthropology from California State University, Chico, where her work explores Kanaka Maoli migration, paniolo culture, pa'u riders, and the historical relationships between Native Hawaiians and Native Californian communities. Drawing on archival research, oral histories, archaeology, and mo'oku'auhau (genealogy), she employs interdisciplinary and Indigenous methodologies to examine identity, resilience, and cultural continuity. Ashlyn currently serves as Coordinator and GIS Specialist for the Northeast Information Center and teaches anthropology and social science courses at the junior college and university levels.
This seminar explores the importance of cultural sensitivity, ethical engagement, and community collaboration in fieldwork and research. Topics include Indigenous research ethics, respectful communication, cultural protocols, stewardship responsibilities, and working with diverse communities.
Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plans: Supporting the DOD and Other Federal Agencies in Their Management Mission
integrated Cultural Resources Management Plans: Supporting the DOD and Other Federal Agencies in Their Management Mission [Foundational Skills]
Jessica Clark Royster, MA, RPA, Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc.
Jessica Clark Royster is the Executive Director for Ohio Valley Archaeology, Inc. (OVAI), a CRM firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2017, OVAI has held cultural resources specific IDIQ contracts with the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC). Jessica has served as the technical project manager for all work under these IDIQs. ICRMP development and updates are a frequent task order for NAVFAC. Ms. Clark Royster has served as a primary author on eight ICRMP updates, as well as designing and implementing a first of its kind, comprehensive ICRMP for the US Marine Reserves.
This course will cover the ins and outs of the Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan (ICRMP), a CRM tool used by the Department of Defense and other federal agencies to support their cultural resources programs. Participants will learn what these documents typically include, who writes them, who uses them, and most importantly how they benefit cultural resources as a whole.
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Navigating Major Disaster Impacts to Mortuary Landscapes: A View from Louisiana
Ryan Seidemann, J.D., Ph.D., RPA, Arizona State University, University of New Orleans, The Water Institute, Southern University Law Center
This course provides practitioners, both within CRM and academia, with a basic overview of disaster impacts and response efforts related to cemeteries--prehistoric, historic, and modern. The focus on Louisiana law is expanded to the rest of the United States, reviewing both statutory law, court actions (case law), and basic human remains law that relates to these unique spaces. This course also provides recommendations for amending existing law around the U.S. and highlights the importance of descendant community agency in the protection of these sites.
Reconstruction of the Destruction of Archaeological Sites: Why Is There a Paleo Point Here?
Maranda Almy Kles, Ph.D., RPA, Archaeological Consultants Inc.
Archaeological sites are often impacted by natural events and human activities, long before they are “identified” by an archaeologist. Taphonomy describes the results of natural impacts, but often sites impacted by human activities are written off as “destroyed”. This can result in misidentification or misinterpretation of sites, which can lead to misunderstandings about site significance, regulatory requirements, and possibly overlooking descendant community concerns. These issues can become particularly important when human remains are identified in a site or when trying to assess the significance/integrity of a small portion of a much larger archaeological site. Forensic taphonomy focuses on recovering evidence to help location and reconstruct the scene of the crime, in this case the destruction of an archaeological site! Archaeologists need to apply similar skills when looking at human impacted sites- is this site in situ or redeposited? Can the original site location or site structure be found or reconstructed? How do we interpret these findings within a larger site or when examining similar sites? This seminar will examine several “case studies” looking at human impacts including bulldozing, grading, dredging, and soil redistribution to examine how to account for the human impacts that have transformed a site. At the end archaeologists should have a better understanding of how to read these impacts and how to use that information to interpret findings, evaluate sites, and provide recommendations, as well as ensure the consideration of descendant community concerns.
Challenges in Mapping the Past: Understanding Datums, Coordinate Systems, and Projections and How They Apply in Archaeology
W. Frederick Limp, Ph.D., RPA, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies at the University of Arkansas (emeritus)
As high-resolution data increasingly becomes a part of archaeology (e.g., GNSS, LiDAR, aerial photography, etc.), archaeologists are now having to deal with data sets that have differing "sources", differing mapping coordinates, projections, and datums. This class will provide a practical introduction to these, how to define and convert data, and how to address the many challenges that can arise.
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