I have run into privy diggers and dump looters in California. They do not
necessarily respond to archaeologiscal arguments. I have found I get a
better result when I explain the health hazards of "privy fill" and what
they may be taking home to their children or others. Once they really
understand that it is "refuse" and may have all kinds of hidden "cooties",
they think about it differently.
Jeanette A. McKenna
Whittier, California
> [Original Message]
> From: Trish Fernandez <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 9/3/2004 9:32:56 AM
> Subject: Re: privy diggers
>
> Why don't we start by inviting them all to the next domestic SHA meeting.
> We can put them all in one room.
>
> Trish Fernandez
> Pacific Legacy
> Sierra/Central Division
> 3081 Alhambra Drive, Suite 208
> Cameron Park, CA 95682
> 530.677.9713, ext. 24
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ryan
> Gray
> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2004 6:25 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: privy diggers
>
> You know, the Net is rife with the 'privy digger' web
> sites. Many of them have extensive how-to sections,
> which range considerably in terms of safety, ethics,
> and destructiveness. The most objectionable thing to
> me is that so many adopt the term 'urban
> archaeologists', which makes our lives as
> archaeologists more difficult. While it's technically
> legal and while our privydigger Eddie may have a nice
> website, and while he may be enthusiastic about
> history and a nice guy to boot, this does not mean we
> should legitimize it. Privy diggers like this take out
> all material at the same time, pick and choose what
> they want, and toss the rest. Information on faunal
> and floral remains, actual MNIs, stratigraphy, etc,
> gone. Forever.
>
> I think a hundred years from now, historical
> archaeologists will look back at our attitudes about
> this much like we look back at amateur archaeologists
> from a hundred years ago who excavated burial mounds
> with dynamite: why didn't professional archaeologists
> try to do more to protect sites? Why didn't they try
> to reach the public more to explain the difference
> between archaeology and treasure hunting? Why didn't
> they realize that these resources will be gone with no
> record for the future?
>
> So, anyone out there interested in putting together an
> urban archaeology web site aimed at people googling
> 'privy digging' and 'bottle hunting'? Illustrate in it
> some of the best of urban projects from all over the
> country, describe the importance of context and
> sampling, go into interpretation, and compare what we
> do to what amateur privy diggers do? Anyone already
> have a website for which they want to devote room to
> this?
>
> D. Ryan Gray
> New Orleans
>
> --- [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> > Hey all you mid-westerners..
> >
> > check out www.privydigger.com
> >
> > anyone know this guy?
> >
>
>
>
>
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