April 2007, Archeology E-Gram
Cultural Heritage Training for Afghan Heritage Specialists
The NPS Archeology Program and several national parks are assisting the
U.S. Department of State, Cultural Heritage Center by providing training
for three Afghan cultural heritage officials from March 26 to May 30,
2007. The Afghan visitors, recommended for the program by the
Afghanistan Ministry of Culture and Tourism, are charged with the care
of famous sites in Afghanistan. Mohammad Sharif Mohammadi, the senior
member of the group, is the manager of historical monuments in Balkh.
Aiamuddin Ajmal is the manager of historical monuments in Herat. Sayed
Nasir Modaber is the manager of historical monuments in Bamiyan, where
his major duties include supervision of the reconstruction of the Buddha
statues destroyed by the Taliban.
The visiting Provincial Directors of Monuments began their training in
Washington, DC, where they attended briefings and visited museums,
preservation organizations, and National Capital Region parks. Most of
their training is occurring at Tumacacori NHP, Casa Grande Ruins NM, and
Salinas Pueblo Missions NM, They are learning about site planning,
preservation and stabilization, documentation, community relations,
public education, and tourism promotion. The George Wright Society also
is cooperating in the design and conduct of this professional
development program.
In 2004, Congress created a Cultural Antiquities Task Force at the
department of State to help support cultural preservation and protection
in Afghanistan and Iraq and to help international organizations stop
looting and trafficking of antiquities. The cultural resource training
for the Afghani delegation is associated with the task force. The State
Department and the NPS Archeology Program hope to repeat this program in
2008.
Contact: Francis P. McManamon, [log in to unmask]
Independence NHP launches Archeology Lesson Plans
The education staff at Independence NHP has launched a new educational
program “Archeology: History Found in Pieces.” The lesson plans,
suitable for Grades 5-12, encourage students to piece together stories
about American history by using archeological information, and primary
and secondary history sources. The PDF lesson plans can be downloaded
and copied; the plans contain scanned copies of original documents and
maps, allowing students to have “hands on” experiences in working with
historical and archeological sources. Quizzes and answer keys are also
included. The curriculum-based lesson plans meet Pennsylvania and New
Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. The project was made possible
through a partnership between the park, the Independence Park Institute,
and Eastern National, and through generous support from the William Penn
Foundation and a U.S. Dept. of Education Fund for the Improvement of
Education Grant.
The lesson plan is available at
http://www.independenceparkinstitute.com/ArcheologyLessonPlans1-16-07.pdf
More educational resources about archeology in national parks may be
found on the NPS archeology program webpage:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/public/teach3.htm.
National Monuments to Mark Centennial
Two former national monuments now included in Lassen Volcanic NP were
proclaimed on May 6, 1907, by President Theodore Roosevelt. Cinder Cone
NM was described as “… of great scientific interest, as illustrations of
volcanic activity which are of special importance in tracing the history
of the volcanic phenomena of that vicinity” (Proc. No. 1907). Lassen
Peak NM marked “the southern terminus of the long line of extinct
volcanoes in the Cascade Range from which one of the greatest volcanic
fields in the world extends, and is of special importance in tracing the
history of the volcanic phenomena of that vicinity” (Proc. No. 754). The
two national monuments were incorporated into Lassen Volcanic NP by
Congressional action in 1916 for the region's significance as a volcanic
landscape (39 Stat 442).
Besides the centennial of the two monuments that are part of the park,
Lassen Volcanic NP is pleased to announce initiating of construction of
their visitor center. Lassen Volcanic NP is one of the earliest
national parks designated by Congress, but has never had a formal
visitor center. A new chapter in the park’s history begins during this
centennial year with construction of a key element in visitors’
experience of the cultural and natural resources at Lassen Volcanic NP.
More information about the Cinder Cone and Lassen Peak NM is available
on http://www.nps.gov/lavo/. More information about Lassen Volcanic NP
is available on
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/sites/Antiquities/profileLassenVolcanic.htm
.
Independence NHP Launches New Excavation
In March, Independence NHP launched a new archeological excavation at
the site of the President’s House, used when the U.S. capital was in
Philadelphia. Located on park grounds near the Liberty Bell Center, the
house served as the residence of George Washington and John Adams, and
at least nine enslaved African Americans, who lived and worked there
during Washington’s presidency. Most of the President’s House was
demolished in the 1830s, and the site was subsequently disturbed by
construction and demolition. Despite this, park archeologists hope that
intact cultural deposits dating to the President’s House era may still
be present. The dig will focus on previously unexcavated yard areas on
the President’s House, and explore “shaft features” – historic pits
lined with brick or stone that were used principally as outhouses and
wells. Park archeologists also hope to find portions of the mansion’s
original walls, helping to confirm mansion location.
A joint project of Independence NHP and the City of Philadelphia, the
President’s House dig will be funded by the City and conducted under the
direction of NPS archeologist Jed Levin. The dig is the second research
investigation associated with the current revitalization of Independence
Mall. The first was the 2003 investigation at the James Oronoco Dexter
property site, which resulted in the discovery of thousands of
artifacts.
Contact: Jane Cowley, [log in to unmask]
NPS hosting GIS Training
The NPS Cultural Resources Geographic Information Services and Midwest
Archeological Center; the Nebraska State Historical Society, Archeology
Division; and Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office are sponsoring
cultural resource training “GIS: Practical Applications for Cultural
Resource Projects.” From assisting with inventories, to mapping historic
districts and battlefields, to mitigating the impact of disasters on
historic areas, GIS technology can be used to provide a better basis for
planning and decision making for the nation’s heritage. “GIS: Practical
Applications for Cultural Resource Projects” provides a review of
geographic information system (GIS) concepts combining spatial
technologies and database management systems in historic preservation;
training in use of GIS applications for identification, evaluation,
protection and preservation of cultural resources. An agenda is
available
online at www.npi.org.
The class will be held on May 8-9, or May 10-11, 2007, in Lincoln, NE.
The instructor for this class is Deidre McCarthy. A registration form
is available online at www.npi.org/register.html
BLM hosting Cultural Resource Training
The BLM National Training Center is sponsoring an Advanced
Archeological Damage Assessment Class. The class will be held June
11-15, 2007, in Billings, MT. This course provides training for
archeologists who prepare archeological damage assessments in
archeological resource law violations cases. Damage assessments are
required for criminal prosecutions and civil penalties under ARPA. These
archeological damage assessment procedures also can be used effectively
in preparing cases involving violations of other laws, such as state
archeological protection statutes. The instructors for this class are
Martin McAllister and Wayne Dance. The class is open to all government,
tribal, and contract archeologists. The registration deadline for the
class is COB, Friday, May 11, 2007.
Contact: ARI Archaeologist Martin McAllister, [log in to unmask]
Curator of North American Ethnography, NMNH, William Sturtevant Dies
William C. Sturtevant, Curator of North American Ethnology at the
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, passed away
on March 2, 2007, at the age of 80. Sturtevant was born in Morristown,
NJ, but grew up in California, where his father was a professor of
biology at California Institute of Technology.
Sturtevant earned his BA from the UC, Berkeley, between 1944 and 1949.
His studies were interrupted by a year, 1945-1946, when he was stationed
on Guam in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Sturtevant earned a PhD in
anthropology from Yale University in 1955. There he was especially
influenced by anthropological linguist Floyd Lounsbury. Lounsbury's
example, together with his training under Haas at Berkeley and Bernard
Bloch at Yale, solidified Sturtevant's commitment to linguistic
approaches within anthropology. His first published article was a study
of Seneca musical instruments written jointly with friend and
fellow-student Harold Conklin. Beyond its ethnographic significance,
this paper was an early example of rigorous ethno-semantic method, an
approach to which both scholars later contributed theoretical works.
Sturtevant's interest in the West Indies also derived from work at Yale,
with Irving Rouse.
Soon after graduation, Sturtevant left a position at Yale for a position
as Ethnologist and later General Anthropologist in the Smithsonian
Institution's Bureau of American Ethnology. When the Bureau was merged
with the Department of Anthropology in the National Museum of Natural
History, Sturtevant became Curator of North American Ethnology. He
remained an active participant in the work of Smithsonian anthropology
until his death.
Sturtevant's commitment to Native American studies within anthropology
was steadfast, having been initiated during third-grade lessons on
Indian life and history. In 1950, Sturtevant began a life-long research
relationship with the Seminole people of Florida. During his doctoral
research, he worked most closely with Josie Billie, an important
Seminole "medicine maker.” This early research generated a steady
stream of essays in ethnography, oral history and ethnohistory that
established him as a leading figure in the anthropology of the Eastern
U.S. His dissertation, an ethno-scientific ethnography of Seminole
medicine, ritual and botany stands among the most comprehensive and
sophisticated studies of ethnobotany produced in the twentieth century,
and remains crucial to the study of Woodland Indian cultures.
Sturtevant's Seminole work was complemented by research among the
Iroquois that was also begun while a student at Yale. These experiences
informed his advocacy in congressional testimony and other forums for
federally unrecognized Indian groups.
Sturtevant was also general editor of the Handbook of North American
Indians. Bearing the imprint of its editor, the thoroughness of the
handbook has made it the essential resource for those interested in
Native American societies.
Working throughout his career in museum contexts, Sturtevant was active
in the fields of museum anthropology and the study of material culture.
He advocated for the importance of museums to general anthropology and
developed methods for anthropological museology. In 1979-1981, he
served as president of the Council for Museum Anthropology and publisher
of Museum Anthropology .
Sturtevant was an important participant in the development of
ethnohistory as an interdisciplinary field of study. While an
undergraduate, Sturtevant participated in an archaeological field school
at Chaco Canyon and a UNAM summer school in Mexico City. These
experiences contributed to his later interest in Spanish ethnohistorical
sources, and he made significant contributions to the study of early
encounters between Europeans and the peoples of the New World. He served
as President of the American Society for Ethnohistory in 1965-1966 and
his essays helped to solidify and frame this developing field. The
confluence of such interests and his training also produced a commitment
to the history of anthropology, an additional field with which he was
engaged.
Sturtevant served as President of the Anthropological Society of
Washington (1992-1993) and the American Ethnological Society (1977). He
received numerous research grants and fellowships. Brown University
awarded him the degree of L.H.D. in 1996. The Smithsonian's National
Anthropological Archives will house his professional papers.
(From story by Jason Baird Jackson, Museum Anthropology)
Projects in Parks: Virgin Islands NP Hosts International Internship
Program
In February, 2007, the Virgin Islands NP Cultural Resource Management
Program began hosting a four month long international internship program
that combined archival research in Denmark with archeological
investigations at the Lameshur Plantation in the park. This internship
program is a joint effort of the Saxo Institute Internship Program,
University of Denmark Department of History, the NPS International
Internship Program, the Virgin Islands NP, and the Friends of the Virgin
Islands National Park. The general purpose of the internship is to give
students training in historical research and on-site historical
archeological fieldwork.
NPS employees who can access the NPS intranet can read the full report
by going to Projects in Parks <
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=279&id=3670> on
InsideNPS. Other readers can access the full report through the E-Gram
on the News and Links page <
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm> on the Archeology
Program website.
Archeology E-Gram, distributed via e-mail on a regular basis, includes
announcements about news, new publications, training opportunities,
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E-Gram are available on the Archeology E-Gram webpage
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=279&id=3867 on
InsideNPS; and on the News and Links page <
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm> on the Archeology
Program website.
Projects in Parks is a feature of the Archeology E-Gram that informs
others about archeology-related projects in a national park.
Prospective authors should review information about submitting
photographs on the Projects in Parks webpage. The full reports are
available on the Projects in Parks webpage
http://inside.nps.gov/waso/custommenu.cfm?lv=3&prg=279&id=3670 on
InsideNPS; and through individual issues of the Archeology E-Gram on the
on the News and Links page <
http://www.cr.nps.gov/archeology/public/news.htm> on the Archeology
Program website.
Contact Karen Mudar, Archeology Program, [log in to unmask] to
contribute news items, stories for “Projects in Parks,” and to
subscribe.
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