April 2005 Archeology E-Gram
Archeology Program Meetings in the Regions
The 2005 NPS archeology meeting was held in conjunction with the Society
for American Archaeology annual meeting in Salt Lake City in March.
Similar meetings were held in Santa Fe and in Washington, DC, in April.
Discussions covered a wide range of topics. Of special importance are
issues of accountability, consistency, and performance for archeological
activities and funding. Another important topic was how archeological
resources can be effectively integrated into the Facilities Management
Support Software (FMSS) system. Since use of FMSS is becoming required in
order for certain funding sources to be used in treating properties,
providing a logical and systematic means by which archeological sites are
included is important. Contact: Frank McManamon, [log in to unmask]
Archeological Sites Management Information System (ASMIS) Trainings for
Park Archeologists
The Archeology Program, National Center for Cultural Resources (NCCR),
provided two 1-day trainings to NPS archeologists. The trainings focus on
the registration, assessment, documentation, and management of park
prehistoric and historic archeological resources and how parks, offices,
centers, and the Archeology Program use the ASMIS data to support improved
archeological resources preservation, protection, planning, accountability,
and decision-making. Archeologists from the Intermountain and Alaska
regions attended the first training, in Salt Lake City in March.
Archeologists from the National Capital, Northeast, and Southeast regions
and WASO attended the second training, at the Museum Support Center, North
Capitol Region, in April. Contact: Terry Childs, [log in to unmask]
Archeology Partnership with the Institut National du Patrimoine, France
The Institut National du Patrimoine (INP) in France is a national
government agency that performs some functions similar to the NPS. Once of
its functions is to train archeologists and other historic preservation
professionals for work in its offices throughout the country.
International internships with comparable preservation organizations are
one aspect of this professional training program. The Archeology Program,
NCCR, is currently the host for such an internship for Francis Saint-Genez.
Mr. Saint-Genez is an archeologist who, following the completion of his
professional development program will take up an archeological position
with the Ministry of Culture. Mr. Saint-Genez has been entered in the VIP
program and all expenses related to the internship are funded by the INP.
He is working on two projects during his 2-month stay. The first project
is a compilation of educational materials on the curation and conservation
of submerged archeological collections, which will be added to the online
course Managing Archeological Collections
(www.cr.nps.gov/aad/collections/). The second project is a comparison of
historic preservation policy and guidance between France and the United
States. Contact: Frank McManamon, [log in to unmask]
Antiquities Act Centennial Commemoration Activities Continue
1. Following in the wake of a panel of presentations and discussion about
the Antiquities Act and means of commemorating its centennial in 2006 held
at the George Wright Society (reported in the March Archeology E-Gram), a
symposium and another set of panel presentations and discussion were held
at the annual meetings of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and
the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA), respectively. The abstracts
and several of the presentations from the SAA symposium, “Examining the
Historical Context for the Antiquities Act, 1879-1906,” will be posted and
linked to the Antiquities Act Centennial Activities webpage
(www.cr.nps.gov/aad/SITES/Antiquities/centennial.htm). A summary of the
SfAA presentations, “The Antiquities Act on the Eve of its Centennial,”
also will be linked to this page. Contact: Frank McManamon,
[log in to unmask]
2. Saving Places 2006: Building on the Past is Colorado Preservation,
Inc.’s annual historic preservation conference in 2006. The conference
will address the anniversaries of the Antiquities Act, Mesa Verde National
Park, and the National Historic Preservation Act. For more information, go
to http://www.coloradopreservation.org/spc/index.html or contact Ann
Pritzlaff at [log in to unmask] or 303 893-4260.
Symposia and Papers by Archeology Program Staff at Professional Meetings
Childs, S. Terry ([log in to unmask]), “The Archaeological Gray
Literature,” chair and discussant for the session, Society for American
Archaeology, Salt Lake City, UT (SAA).
Graham, Martha ([log in to unmask]), “Rethinking Material Culture:
Reflections on Interactions and Repatriation,”at the Society for Applied
Anthropology, Santa Fe, NM (SfAA).
Barbara Little ([log in to unmask]), “Archaeology as Civic
Engagement,” SfAA; “Archaeology and Public Education: Fifteen Years Of
Research And Results” discussant for the session, SAA; and “Archaeology as
a Shared Vision,” banquet speaker at the annual meeting of the Society for
Pennsylvania Archaeology, Morgantown, PA.
Barbara Little and Francis P. McManamon, “Archaeology, Tourism and
America’s National Parks,” SfAA.
McManamon, Francis P. ([log in to unmask]), “Commodity or Culture?
The Department of the Interior and Archeology on Public Lands in the Late
19th Century,” SAA; and chaired the panel on “The Antiquities Act on the
Eve of Its Centennial,” SfAA.
Mudar, Karen ([log in to unmask]), “Copper and Cattle: Animal
Exploitation at Copper Production Sites Dating to the 2nd-1st Millennium
B.C. in Central Thailand,” SAA.
Public Meaning of Archaeological Heritage training held; on-line material
available.
The National Park Service, through a cooperative agreement with the
University of Maryland, has offered training in the effective
interpretation of archeological heritage. A series of on-line courses is
available on the web for self-motivated study at any time. They can be
found on the Archeology Program’s distance learning web site at:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/TOOLS/distlearn.htm. A description of the planned
course of study is on-line at:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/SITES/inspire/index.htm and can be adapted by
anyone interested in setting up local or regional training. For more
information about the content of the courses, refer to the special section
on “The Public Meaning of Archaeological Heritage” in the March 2005 issue
of The SAA Archaeological Record, the magazine of the Society for American
Archaeology. Also, the web site of the Center for Heritage Resource Studies
has several presentations from the seminar, including “Heritage: Poetry and
Archeology as the Common Language of the Past, the Present, and the Future”
by Suheil Bushru, the Baha’i Chair of World Peace at the University of
Maryland (http://heritage.umd.edu/CHRSWeb/nps/training/papers.htm).
Contact: Barbara Little, [log in to unmask]
Meaningful Interpretation and Archeology
The Spring 2005 issue of Ranger, the Journal of the Association of National
Park Rangers is dedicated to the field of interpretation in national parks
in recognition that the Interpretive Development Program is pertinent to
all NPS employees. The topic of is “Meaningful Interpretation through the
Interpretive Development Program.” Among the many articles is
“Interpretation of Archeological Resources” by Barbara Little of the
Archeology Program. Contact: Barbara Little, (202) 354-2130,
[log in to unmask]
Iraq Cultural Heritage Preservation Voluntary Visitor Program, January 2005
Senior officials from Iraqi cultural heritage institutions met with United
States governmental agencies, nongovernmental institutions, and other
interested parties in January, to discuss Iraq’s priorities and needs for
preservation and management of significant historic buildings,
archeological sites, and museum collections; and to inform Iraqi heritage
officials of resources and opportunities available to them. The program
was designed and sponsored by the Voluntrary Visitors Division and the
Cultural Heritage Center of the U.S. Department of State. The officials
met with the U.S. Interagency Working Group on Iraq Cultural Heritage
Preservation, which includes representatives of NEH, NSF, IMLS, and DoS;
the National Park Service; US/ICOMOS; Council on American Overseas
Research Centers; Smithsonian Institution; American Association of Museums;
and University of Pennsylvania University Museum. The topics that Francis
P. McManamon, Departmental Consulting Archeologist and NPS Chief
Archeologist, discussed with the officials were managing sites for
conservation and to provide meaningful experience for visitors, involving
the local community for support, and the potential for internship at a
national park. For more information contact Cultural Heritage Center in
the Bureau of
Educational & Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State,
[log in to unmask]
Oversight hearings on the National Historic Preservation Act.
On April 21, 2005, the House Committee on Resources, Subcommittee on
National Parks, held oversight hearings on the National Historic
Preservation Act. Information about the hearings may be available at
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/Press/press.htm, at “Unintended
Consequences of National Historic Preservation Act Debated (04/21/05).”
Archeology E-Gram, distributed via e-mail on a regular basis, includes
announcements about news, new publications, training opportunities,
national and regional meetings, and other important goings-on related to
public archeology in the National Park Service and other public agencies.
Recipients are encouraged to forward Archeology E-Grams to colleagues and
relevant mailing lists and new subscribers are accepted. Contact Martha
Graham, Archeology Program, NPS, at (202) 354-2110, [log in to unmask]
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