*Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail* *Restoration Project Recognized With
State Award*
Ala Kahakai NHT and its partners have been recognized for efforts to
stabilize and preserve part of the trail damaged during an earthquake in
2006. Partners include the Hawai'i Division of State Parks, 'Ohana of Napuu
Area; Hui Aloha Kiholo; Na Ala Hele Trails and Access Program, Division of
Forestry and Wildlife, Department of Land and Natural Resources; and Ala
Kahakai Trail Association.
The award is for the Kiholo-Puako trail earthquake damage stabilization
project. The trail dates to the mid-1800s and represents one of the finest
examples of trails constructed by the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Listed on the
National Register of Historic Places, the Kiholo-Puako trail is a primary
north-south route for trail users in Kiholo State Park Reserve and Ala
Kahakai NHT.
This project is a example of architectural stabilization using traditional
Hawaiian dry-set masonry (hapai pohaku) by a team of masons and
archeologists working together. The project documented, repaired and
stabilized 180 linear feet of dry set masonry trail fabric and included
detailed documentation of the trail, the adjacent ancient ala loa (long
trail), and associated archeological features before, during and after the
repair work. The funding for this project was provided by the cultural
cyclic maintenance program.
This is the 40th year of the preservation honor awards, which are Hawaii's
highest recognition of preservation projects that perpetuate, rehabilitate,
restore or interpret the state's architectural, archeological and/ or
cultural heritage. The preservation honor award will be presented on May
30th at the Historic Hawai’i Foundation’s 2014 preservation honor awards
ceremony.
*By Ida Hanohano*
*Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park* *Recognized for
Preservation Efforts*
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau NHP will be recognized with a Historic Hawai'i
Preservation Honor Award for its work to preserve, protect, and maintain
the historic resources located in the Ki'ilae section of the park.
Situated on the southwestern coastline of the Island of Hawai'i, 182 acre
Pu'uhonua o Honaunau was established in 1961. The park preserves and
protects the pu‘uhonua complex and surrounding archeological features and
landscape and the historic fishing village of Ki‘ilae. The park was
nominated for the award by the Trust for Public Land in recognition of the
enormous energy and resources the park has devoted to the preservation and
protection of Ki'ilae.
In 2006, in partnership with the Trust for Public Land, the park acquired
an additional 238 acres in the Ki‘ilae ahupua‘a. This acquisition included
portions of Ki‘ilae Village specified in the park’s enabling legislation
but not included within the original park boundaries. This allowed the park
to begin a unified study of the village area.
Beginning in 2009, the park sought and received funding to support
preservation work in Ki'ilae. Staff of the resources management division
worked diligently to stabilize archeological resources damaged by invasive
vegetation and floods, update park databases about the resources located
there, and develop an interpretive program for the area.
*By Adam Johnson, Chief of Integrated Resources Management/Archeologist*
*New Report on Yellowstone National Park Archeology*
The University of Montana’s school publication, *University Relations* recently
published a report on the archeological research that faculty member Doug
MacDonald has been conducting in Yellowstone NP.
To read the report, go to
*http://www.umt.edu/urelations/pubs/Research%20View/Spring%202013/Yellowstone.php
<http://www.umt.edu/urelations/pubs/Research%20View/Spring%202013/Yellowstone.php>*
To learn more about MacDonald’s research at Yellowstone NP, read Projects
in Parks reports *The Montana Yellowstone Archeological Project at
Yellowstone Lake *at
*http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstoneLake.htm
<http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstoneLake.htm>*
and *The Montana-Yellowstone Archeological Project* at*
http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstone.htm
<http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npSites/yellowstone.htm>*
*Keweenaw National Historical Park and Isle Royale National Park Sponsor
Park Break Session*
Keweenaw NHP, Isle Royale NP, and Michigan Technological University’s (MTU)
Industrial Archaeology program held a joint archeological Park Break
session the week of April 7, 2014. Northern Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula
and Isle Royale in Lake Superior share the same geology and copper-rich
bedrock and a similar mining prehistory and history, making a joint project
beneficial to both parks. Eight graduate students spent the week tackling
one question: How can we increase understanding of, and appreciation for,
the nationally significant resources related to prehistoric and historic
copper mining within the Keweenaw Peninsula and on Isle Royale?
Classroom sessions and discussions with NPS staff were complemented by
field trips—several on snowshoes—to historic sites throughout the Keweenaw
Peninsula, including Cliff Mine, which in 1849 became the first Keweenaw
copper mine to pay a dividend. Today it is the site of an archeological
field school hosted by Michigan Tech’s Industrial Archaeology program.
By the end of the week, the students had developed immediate, short, and
long-term goals for the parks and had identified many activities to engage
visitors of all ages. The students offered innovative suggestions, scaled
from immediate, no-cost actions to more elaborate programs. Keweenaw NHP
and Isle Royale NP now have a plan to increase community awareness of the
value of archeological resources. The collaborative network that already
exists between the NPS and its partners—including the Keweenaw Heritage
Sites and MTU was seen as a distinct advantage to successfully addressing
these goals.
The Park Break program is organized by the NPS and the George Wright
Society to support research in and management of parks, protected areas,
and cultural sites. It gives graduate students an opportunity to work with
park staff on research question and in the process gain experience in the
day-to-day operations of a public land management agency.
*By Thomas M. Baker*
*NPS Archeologist at New River Gorge Nation River Helps Local Efforts to
Protect Mill Site*
The only thing standing between the destruction of a 1838 water-powered
mill near Beckley, West Virginia, and those interested in “re–purposing”
its intricately cut stone walls is a 20 acre dump. Over the years, debris
added to the now–closed city dump, perched on the rim of Piney Creek
Canyon, blocked and covered the wagon road over which settlers once hauled
grain and logs to the mill for processing.
Today, the mill site occupies a roadless stretch of the creek. “Its
remoteness is probably the reason it's still so intact,” said Tom Sopher,
Beckley City Council member and president of the Raleigh County Historical
Society. “The dump saved it,” said David Fuerst, New River Gorge NR
archeologist, who, along with Sopher, is part of an ad hoc group working to
save the mill and incorporate it into a new city park. The three acre mill
site overlooks a bank–to–bank waterfall on Piney Creek.
Alfred Beckley built a gristmill on Piney Creek in 1838 to help bring
settlers to the 30-acre town site he had laid out on the 56,679-acre tract
of land he inherited from his father, John Beckley. The elder Beckley, who
came to America as an indentured servant from England, eventually became a
political ally of Thomas Jefferson and was named the nation’s first
Librarian of Congress and the first clerk of the U.S. House of
Representatives. By 1845, the mill was processing both grain and lumber.
The mill continued to operate under a series of different owners until
about 1915.
“Found it a most romantic spot,” Col. Rutherford B. Hayes wrote in his
diary, after visiting the mill on January 9, 1862. The mill was then
operated by Beckley's son, John, who lived with his “pretty wife and
daughter in a cabin by the roaring torrent in a glen separated from all the
world.” For Hayes, who had seen combat during the Battle of Carnifex Ferry
a few months earlier and in numerous skirmishes since, the scene along
Piney Creek was especially attractive.
Fuerst and a crew of volunteers conducted archeological survey at the mill
site, determining, among other things, whether the soil had been disturbed
since the mill stopped operating. Soon, artifacts began turning up,
including square-cut nails and fragments of window glass and whiteware
pottery dating back to the early to mid-1800s.
Based on this information, the Beckley Historic Landmark Commission
cornered a $15,900 grant from the state Archives and History Commission for
a preliminary excavation of the mill. The archeological work will likely
include a geophysical look at the site, using ground penetrating radar or a
magnetometer. The work will help determine the dimensions of the mill and
house that was once occupied by the mill operator and his family. The
archeology project is expected to shed light on the layout and uses of the
historic mill, as well as the way of life for the people who worked in and
lived near Beckley's first industrial development.
Sopher and others plan to provide public access to the planned park by
reclaiming the wagon route to the mill and using it as a trail. “We’ve
already removed five tons of trash from the trail, and cut grass and
trimmed trees down at the mill site,” said Sopher.
“We would like to learn more about the layout of the mill and the people
who built it,” Fuerst said. “We would like to take that information to the
schools and the community, and we would like to make the park a place that
everyone in the community can look upon as a part of their history.”
*from story by Rick Steelhammer, West Virginia Gazette*
*Conversation with an Archeologist: Mark Rudo*
Archeologists across the Service will be sorry to hear that Mark Rudo is
retiring at the end of April; E-Gram staff talked to him before he headed
off for new adventures. Rudo was a regional archeologist and program
co-lead in the Pacific West Region (PWR). He was stationed in San
Francisco, not far from where he grew up and attended college at San
Francisco State University. He held the same Archeological Assistance
Program position, but widely ranging duties, for his entire NPS career, an
unusual feat these days!
Rudo talks about his career in terms of lucky breaks. While at San
Francisco State, he was influenced by Michael J. Moratto, who introduced
him to California archeology and to cultural resource management. Thanks to
Moratto, Rudo was drawn to CRM work and public service. After graduating
from college, he was accepted to graduate school and got a three year term
position with the Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District, as an
archeologist, his first lucky break. He enjoyed the work that he did, small
surveys, Section 106 compliance, report writing, and contract management,
but couldn’t quite finish his thesis while he was focused on work.
After the position ended, Rudo was able to complete his Master’s degree, in
1983, and gained a temporary part-time job at the Western Region’s
Interagency Archeological Services (IAS) Branch in 1984. IAS was part of
the NPS Archeological Assistance Program that focused on assisting federal
agencies, developing and supporting National Historic Landmark nominations,
and coordinating interagency archeological training. His first supervisor,
Garland Gordon, was soon followed by Tef Rodeffer, now at WACC. Rudo had
discovered a capacity and strong liking for public archeology. Another
lucky break came in 1988 when his position was converted to full-time
permanent status and he was able to successfully compete for it.
As a regional archeologist, Rudo has done a wide variety of projects in
both partnership and stewardship roles. These ranged from reviewing ARPA
permit applications as the regional permit coordinator to overseeing and
co-instructing field schools in Yap and American Samoa to benefit students
and local historic preservation programs. He says that being able to work
in the islands of Micronesia and the Southern Pacific was one of the high
points of his career, another lucky break. The last year that he worked in
Micronesia was 2004. At the present time the NPS doesn’t have the resources
to continue with the same level of assistance to these islands.
Rudo also wanted the experience of working in a park, a pursuit that was
looked upon favorably by former PWR archeology program lead Jim Thomson. A
lucky break came when Rudo was able to arrange to work at Point Reyes
National Seashore for one to two days a week as work in Micronesia was
winding down. Rudo started to develop an archeology program for the park at
the request of the cultural resources chief Gordon White, building a site
stewardship program, assisting with tribal consultation, and creating
cooperative and task agreements for Section 106, Section 110, and NAGPRA
projects.
Working at a park also gave Rudo a good venue to accomplish partnership
program goals by providing a location and resources for an interagency
archeological site stabilization workshop, and for a large-scale volunteer
project by the Society for California Archeology to identify and record new
and known archeological sites threatened by coastal erosion and climate
change. The work paid off with the result that in 2012 the park decided to
hire a full-time archeologist, Paul Engel, after he successfully completed
a SCEP appointment under Rudo’s supervision. “Paul is my personal
succession plan,” Rudo laughed.
Despite working in a regional capacity, Rudo has had an important impact on
NPS archeology service-wide and was instrumental in standing up
NADB-Reports and ASMIS. NADB-Reports is a bibliographic inventory of
approximately 350,000 reports on archeological planning and investigation,
mostly of limited circulation. Gray literature constitutes the bulk of the
primary information available on archeological sites in the U.S. While
NADB-Reports on the NPS Archeology Program website was last updated in
August 2004, it continues to grow on The Digital Archeological Record
website, an enduring legacy of Benny Keel (then Departmental Consulting
Archeologist), Victor Carbone, Terry Childs, Rudo, and others. Rudo managed
contracts and agreements for western states to collect tens of
thousands of bibliographic
references and managed the regional database for annual uploading to WASO.
Through NADB-Reports work, Rudo met Terry Childs, who later guided and
coordinated the NPS national archeological inventory database (ASMIS). As
work on ASMIS intensified Childs tapped Rudo for assistance. He was a
member of the data standards committee, coordinated the 2009 annual
national data call on detail to WASO, and was a regional ASMIS coordinator
right up to his retirement. ASMIS continues to be an important tool for
managing NPS archeological resources.
I asked Mark if, looking over a 33-year career as a Federal archeologist,
he had any regrets. He said that he had none; that he had had great
opportunities (lucky breaks!) to work on a variety of interesting and
important projects with exceptional people from a wide variety of
backgrounds.
Rudo's belief in public service as worthy employment for an archeologist
has shaped his time at the NPS. He has volunteered for a number of
unglamorous assignments such as helping to coordinate Section 106 actions
for the Deepwater Horizon incident and serving on the Archeological
Resources Committee of the California State Historical Resources
Commission, and initiated projects that required time and patience to carry
out, like creating an archeology program at Point Reyes NS. His insistence
that thoughtful care of archeological resources is every archeologist's
first responsibility has been a compass that has aligned his career. He
also took personal responsibility for ensuring that his work remained
relevant and engaging, by creating and taking advantage of new
opportunities which, he says, has enriched his experiences.
While it may have been a lucky break for Rudo to be hired by the NPS, it
was an even luckier break for the NPS. His low key and steady presence
will be missed by his colleagues across the region and across the Service.
He plans to stay in touch with his NPS comrades though, and already has
some volunteer work lined up at Point Reyes NS and another local favorite,
Pinnacles NP.
Thanks for talking to us, Mark!
*NPS Archeologist Publishes Book on Civic Engagement and Archeology*
Barbara Little has co-authored *Archaeology, Heritage, and Civic
Engagement** Working
Toward the Public Good* with husband Paul Shackel. Little and Shackel,
long-term leaders in the growth of
a civically-engaged, relevant archeology, outline a future trajectory
for the field in this concise, thoughtful volume. Drawing from
thearcheological study of race and labor, among other examples, the authors
explore this crucial opportunity and responsibility, then point the way
for the discipline to contribute to the contemporary public good.
*Push Underway to Make Cahokia Mounds National Park*
Preservationists are urging Congress to designate Cahokia Mounds and
similar sites in the St. Louis area a part of the NPS, or the president to
designate Cahokia Mounds a national monument. Either designation,
proponents say, would give the Native American mounds more protection, more
status and more tourism. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn endorsed the idea last
month, and Senator Dick Durbin (Illinois) has asked the NPS to review the
proposal.
Under the plan, the state of Illinois would retain ownership and operation
of the 2,200-acre Cahokia Mounds. “The current plan includes creating a
national historical park not only for Cahokia but for the significant mound
centers of the Mississippians throughout the bi-state region,” said Bill
Iseminger, assistant director of the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.
The current state historic site designation protects Cahokia Mounds’ 2,200
acres but not the additional 1,500 acres around it that also are part of
the prehistoric site. The national historic landmark boundary includes all
this area but only provides limited protection.
Adding urgency is a remarkable recent find. Construction of the Stan Musial
Veterans Memorial Bridge has uncovered more than 1,500 ancient Indian homes
— estimated to have housed 5,000 people over the years — in and around the
former St. Louis National Stockyards. Other finds include storage pits,
refuse pits, food-processing areas, sweat lodges and other aspects of the
culture. All were part of a Mississippian civilization that flourished from
1000 A.D. to 1350 A.D. The mounds were part of what at the time was the
largest Native American city on the North American continent. Around 1100
A.D., the population of at least 20,000 was larger than that of London.
The proposal and justification for NPS status is outlined in “The Mounds —
America’s First Cities” released March 19, 2014, by the HeartLands
Conservancy. A multidisciplinary team worked on the study, with guidance
from 11 American Indian tribes and nations. Over the last 18 months, state
and Federal agencies, local communities and experts all helped with the
study and sought input from the public.
To read a summary of the study, go to
http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/kwmu/files/201403/The_Mounds_-_America's_First_Cities_EXEC_SUM_3_15_14_final_with_captions.pdf
*From story **by **Margaret Gillerman. St. Louis Post-Dispatcher*
*Missouri Man Convicted Of ARPA Violations at Ozark National Scenic
Riverway*
In September 2011, rangers at Ozark NSR opened an investigation into damage
and illegal excavation incidents that had occurred in three archeological
sites in the park unit. NPS archeologist Melissa Baier found that the
combined cost of restoration and repair and archeological value was
$21,751. An NPS special agent and park law enforcement specialist Jodi
Towery were assigned to the case.
Their investigation led to the determination that the violations were
committed by Tracy and Rhonda Chilton of Van Buren, Missouri. In April
2012, rangers and special agents, with assistance from the Missouri State
Highway Patrol, executed a search warrant on the Chilton's residence. The
couple admitted and confessed to knowingly excavating, removing, and
transporting archeological resources from NPS lands on several occasions.
Tracy Chilton identified over 200 artifacts that he had removed from park
lands without permit or authority. The artifacts were seized along with
books on archeology, digging tools, and “flipping” sticks used to commit
the violations. Material suspected to be marijuana and numerous drug
paraphernalia items were seized as contraband. Seven firearms were also
seized from the house; Tracy Chilton was a convicted felon and not allowed
to keep firearms.
Chilton pled guilty on November 6, 2013, to one count under 16 USC 470, and
was sentenced to one year of supervised probation, 100 hours of community
service, and $525 in fines and costs. He was also ordered to pay the NPS
$3,984 in restitution.
The park was assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol; Buffalo NR; the
NPS Midwest Archeological Center; the Shawnee Tribe of Miami, Oklahoma; the
Osage Nation of Oklahoma; and the US Attorney's Office. Assistant US
Attorney Larry Farrell prosecuted Chilton for the offenses – the first
successful ARPA prosecution in the history of the park.
*Hantavirus Disease Health and Safety Update Now Available*
The hantavirus disease health and safety update that appeared in the
February edition of Conserve-O-Gram has been updated, expanded and
retransmitted in the March edition. The revised Conserve-O-Gram includes
current information on the hantavirus incubation period, rodent exclusion
techniques, appropriate disinfectants to use, and procedures for cleaning
potentially contaminated museum objects, including isolating any
potentially contaminated materials at room temperatures as freezing extends
the viability of the virus.
To read “Hantavirus Disease Health and Safety Update,” go to
http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/02-08.pdf
For more information about Conserve-O-Grams, go to
http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/conserv.html.
*Manzanar National Historic Site* *Garden Restoration Earns National Award*
The Society for History in the Federal Government has presented the 2014
John Wesley Powell Prize for Outstanding Historic Preservation to Manzanar
NHS for the restoration of the mess hall garden in Block 12. The Powell
Prize recognized not only the innovative way the project integrated
archeological data with archival research and oral history, but also the
way that staff and volunteers overcame a severe setback when the floods of
the summer of 2013 caused unexpected damage.
The project was funded by cultural cyclic maintenance. Named in the award
nomination were Jeff Burton, Cultural Resources Program Manager; Gerry
Enes, Arborist; John Kepford, Historic Preservation Specialist; and Laura
Ng, Archeologist. Ng accepted the award on behalf of Manzanar NHS on April
4, 2014, at the annual meeting in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
The Society brings together government professionals, academics,
consultants, students, and citizens in the crucial work of providing
historical context and transparency for an informed citizenry.
*By Jeffery Burton*
*NPS Announces $6.5 million in Historic Preservation Grants for American
Indian Tribes*
NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis awarded more than $6.5 million in historic
preservation grants to 147 American Indian Tribal Historic Preservation
Offices (THPOs) to support historic preservation programs on tribal
lands. The grants, provided under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of
2014, augment the more than $2.2 million previously awarded to tribes under
the Continuing Resolution that funded Federal agencies from October through
mid-January. The total amount to THPOs in FY14 is $8,780,208.
Tribes can use the grants to fund projects such as surveys of historic
properties, reviews of federally funded projects, preservation education,
and the development of nominations of significant sites to the National
Register of Historic Places and/or tribal registers.
Examples of recent projects funded by Historic Preservation Fund grants
include:
· The Santee Sioux Nation in 2013 consulted on a VA project to
demolish and erect new facilities at Fort Snelling, in Minnesota. The
historic site is located within the Santee Sioux's traditional territory,
and 35 tribal members who died while imprisoned at the fort in the 19th century
are buried there in an unknown location. The tribe came to an agreement
with the VA to collaborate and further investigate the site prior to any
work commencing.
· Grant money from THPOs was used to survey approximately 195,982
acres of tribal land, resulting in 7,043 archeological sites and 1,307
historic properties being added to tribal inventories. In addition, THPOs
prepared 64 site nominations for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Preservation Fund is derived by revenue from Federal oil
leases on the Outer Continental Shelf and catalyzes private and non-federal
investment in historic preservation efforts nationwide. The NPS administers
the fund and distributes annual matching grants to state and tribal
historic preservation officers from money made available in Congressional
appropriations.
For more information about the NPS tribal preservation programs and grants,
go to
http://www.nps.gov/tribes/Tribal_Historic_Preservation_Officers_Program.htm
*Pompey’s Pillar Defacer Punished*
A Minnesota man who carved his and his wife’s names near the 1806 signature
of explorer William Clark on a national monument in Montana has agreed to
pay $4,400 in restitution and fines.
The fine came after the U.S. attorney’s office filed a misdemeanor
vandalism charge against Cole Randall, for the carving at Pompey’s Pillar
that reads “Cole + Shpresa 10/10/2013.” The carving also included a heart.
Randall had to climb over a railing to make the carving. He agreed to pay
$3,400 in restitution and a $1,000 fine to settle the case.
Randall’s carving — made just a few feet to the left of the “W. Clark”
signature made in July 1806 — also impacted other, more faded historical
signatures, some of which were over 100 years old. Restoration work in
southeastern Montana is expected to occur in May. “We are hopeful that some
of the damage to our historic treasure will be fixed,” monument manager
Jeff Kitchens said. “However, the carving by Mr. Randall was so deep and
severe that we are limited in what can be done.”
Randall apologized in an email to the BLM and media outlets in November
2013.
*Congress Votes to Save Cultural Resource in Wilderness*
The U.S. House of Representatives on April 7, 2014, followed the Senate in
approving a bill to save the contested Green Mountain Lookout inside
Glacier Peak Wilderness, permanently blocking a Federal judge’s order to
remove the structure. The congressional action marks the final word on a
legal fight that began in 2010 when Missoula-based Wilderness Watch sued
the USFS shortly after the agency rebuilt the crumbling 1930s-era lookout
cabin.
The environmental group argued the repairs — which involved more than 60
helicopter flights and use of rock drills and other power tools in an area
where even bicycles are banned — violated a tenet of the 1964 Wilderness
Act to preserve areas of nature largely devoid of the “imprint of man’s
work.”
In March 2012, U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour in Seattle found
the USFS guilty of “substantive violation” of the Wilderness Act and
ordered the lookout dismantled. In response to arguments that removal would
be worse than the offense, the judge gave the agency a chance to come up
with another remedy. The bill Congress passed is that solution. It prevents
the USFS from removing the lookout unless it is deemed unsafe for visitors.
The legislation now goes to President Obama, who has indicated support for
the lookout.
The 6,500-foot-high lookout opened in 1933, well before Congress designated
the Glacier Peak Wilderness in 1964. The lawmakers argued the lookout —
which offers hikers wraparound views of Suiattle River Valley toward
Glacier Peak — is a valuable part of Pacific Northwest cultural heritage
and a monument to the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
*From story by Kyung M. Song, Seattle Times*
*National Geographic Channel Pulls 'Nazi War Diggers' Series*
National Geographic Channel said that it would "indefinitely" pull a
planned television series on unearthing Nazi war graves after criticism
from archeologists and others who said the show handled the dead with
disrespect. The channel said that after "consulting with colleagues" at the
National Geographic Society, it would not broadcast "Nazi War Diggers," in
May as scheduled "while questions raised in recent days regarding
accusations about the program can be properly reviewed." The show was to
have been broadcast globally except in the United States.
National Geographic Channel International had commissioned four episodes of
the show, in which two metal detecting specialists, a relics hunter, and an
antiques dealer, who deals in Nazi World War II artifacts, hunt for the
graves of German and Red Army soldiers on the Eastern Front.
National Geographic Channel issued a statement Friday defending the show
and saying the criticism was premature, based on early publicity materials
that "did not provide important context about our team's methodology." The
channel pulled those materials from its website.
To read the full article, go to
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/31/national-geographic-channel-pulls-nazi-war-diggers-series/?ref=arts
*By Tom Mashberg,** New York Times*
*WAC Adopts Resolution on Archeology and Custodial and Affiliated
Communities*During the 7th World Archaeological Congress (WAC-7), held in
January 2013 in Jordan, a group of former ICCROM course participants
organized a session on “The Past Lives in the Present”. As an outcome of
the session, the following resolution was adopted at the plenary and has
now been confirmed by the Executive of the WAC:
”The archaeological community increasingly engages with local communities
through research and educational activities including public outreach. The
World Archaeological Congress supports works presented at various sessions
of WAC-7 in Jordan, as well as and institutional attempts such as ICCROM’s
Living Heritage Approach, which exemplifies principles, methods, and
theoretical frameworks for properly valuing and engaging with unique world
views and knowledges [sic] possessed by local communities. These approaches
illustrate the vital importance to custodial communities of such world
views and knowledges [sic]. In recognition of this, WAC encourages
systematic efforts to develop a scholarship of community engaged
archaeology through which such work can be documented, problematized, and
improved with the goal of achieving holistic knowledge, participatory
research, sustainable community development and management of
archaeological heritage.”
The resolution was proposed by Neel Kamal Chapagain (Nepal) and Michael J
Kimball (USA).
*Projects in Parks:* is taking a break this month.
*Slightly Off-Topic: Saving Cultural Heritage, One Tweet at a Time*
*Publish, publish, publish.* Repeated over and over again to every
aspiring undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral candidate, the phrase is a
driving force in archeology. But for whom are we publishing? More often
than not, papers are geared towards other academics. However, when it
concerns looting, smuggling, and trading illicit antiquities, there is an
audience that needs even more attention — the general public.
Archeologists are in a unique position to inform the public about looting
because many have firsthand experience with it. In the recent article
“Archaeological
Site Looting in “Glocal” Perspective: Nature, Scope, and Frequency,” Blythe
Bowman Proulx surveyed 3,009 archeologists and found that 78 percent
encountered “looting or evidence of looting while participating in
fieldwork of any kind.” Of those archeologists, 24 percent had encountered
looters on-site and looting activity in progress, effectively showing that
they were no strangers to looting. Archeologists are also in a position to
take a stand and have a voice. They can engage with the public by sharing
their tales of the destruction of cultural heritage but have they done so?
Making those outside the field of archeology sensitive to the endangerment
of cultural heritage is not easy. In a December interview, Egyptologist Dr.
Monica Hanna reflected on the current state of antiquities in Egypt and
citizens’ lack of connection with their heritage. “They don’t feel its part
of their heritage. Even the Egyptian social studies schoolbook – the way it
presents [Ancient] Egypt and modern Egypt, [they] are two hermetically
sealed entities*.*” The sudden increase in looting across Egypt after the
2011 uprising may have highlighted this disconnect between the Egyptian
people and their monuments, but it has also underlined the fact that when
people care, they will go to great lengths to take a stand.
The responsibility to inspire courage and action to protect cultural
heritage falls on every person involved in the field, including
archeologists. Spreading the word about the destructive effects of looting
and starting dialogues with the general public about cultural heritage
destruction is of the utmost importance.
While there is enormous pressure on archeologists to publish academically,
it is vital that discussions about these issues also take place via forums
that are also used by non-academics. There are an overwhelming number of
platforms that can accomplish this– platforms that have started
revolutions. Hanna has begun the process in Egypt by garnering over 25,000
followers on Twitter, 2,400 followers on Facebook, and 6,500 fans
of Egypt’s Heritage Task Force. She encourages everyone to share their
stories of antiquities looting, regardless of who they are.
A quick search of users associated with the keywords “archaeologist” or
“archeologist” on Twitter yields about 350 results. While these results may
not encompass all the archeologists active on Twitter, it suggests that
only a fraction of the archeology community is fully utilizing a free tool
that has 241 million active users a month.
If one archeologist such as Monica Hanna is reaching over 25,000 with
information about looting, imagine how much we’d learn from the 2,355
archeologists who, according to Proulx, also experienced looting firsthand.
It is time to become a little more comfortable with publishing via
platforms that are not traditional academic journals. All one has to do is
Tweet, Like, and Share. It is that easy. And remember, “instead of us
preserving the antiquities, it is the antiquities that are protecting us.
For it is through heritage that we can understand the things around us…”
Dr. Monica Hanna.
*From editorial by Tessa Varner, SAFE Intern*
To read Proulx’s article, go to
http://www.ajaonline.org/sites/default/files/1171_Proulx.pdf
To read the full interview with Monica Hannah, go to
http://www.savingantiquities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/MonicaHanna-egypttoday.pdf
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