14
S moke S ignals
AUGUST 1, 2015
Course focuses on 19th century landscape
ARCHAEOLOY continued
from front page
ology, is teaching students how
to document and preserve Tribal
cultural resources by working with
Tribal staff and Tribal students.
The course is focused on the his-
tory and development of the 19th
century reservation landscape and
spotlights two historic period sites.
Students are learning about a mid-
1800s Indian agency camp and one
of the Grand Ronde Tribal schools
that was established in the early
1900s.
The five-week course, which
began on June 29, offers students
a chance to live in Grand Ronde
through early August while work-
ing on the two dig sites.
Tribal Historic Preservation Pro-
gram Manager David Harrelson
and Senior Archaeologist Briece
Edwards are collaborating with Dr.
Sara Gonzalez of the University of
Washington to teach the course.
Students have focused on gaining
a comprehensive understanding
of Tribal historic preservation
and learning archaeological and
ethnographic field methods that
include pedestrian and geophysical
surveying, mapping, excavation,
historic materials analysis, digital
storytelling and Tribal communi-
ty-based research methods.
“We wanted to work with some-
body who wanted to help us better
understand the archaeology of the
historic period of the reservation,”
says Harrelson. “The idea of ar-
chaeology is there are all these lines
of evidence to our history and our
past. What archaeology brings to
the table is not a story written by
the victors, but the actual material
evidence left behind that can fill in
the gaps in history. We want to be
able to tell the story of the people
who came to the Grand Ronde Res-
ervation. We saw this need.”
Harrelson and Edwards say
there is a desire to have this type
of information to help educate the
membership and people who visit
the Tribal museum and cultural
center – Chachalu.
“There is a need for additional
information about the time period
from the settlement of the Grand
Ronde Indian Reservation up un-
til Termination,” says Harrelson.
“This is an era of history that we
don’t have living people to tell us
about those days and so the ma-
terial evidence by archaeology can
help with that.”
Harrelson says it was the need
to fill in those gaps in history in a
more tangible way that led to the
idea of a professional collaboration
and a field school.
Harrelson and Edwards have
been developing an ongoing rela-
tionship with Gonzalez because
she has worked with Tribal com-
munities before and she also has
developed a culturally sensitive
approach to archaeology. All three
agree that archaeology as a whole
is undergoing long-needed changes
in not only philosophy, but meth-
odology.
“Sara is very much about how do
you decolonize a tool that has been
used for oppression,” says Edwards.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Tribal member Sharrah McKenzie removes a layer of earth while taking part
in an archaeological dig at a site on Grand Ronde Road on Friday, July 17.
McKenzie is a senior archaeology student at Portland State University.
Sharrah McKenzie ‘feels like home’
When Tribal Historic Preserva-
tion Program Manager David Har-
relson and Senior Archaeologist
Briece Edwards heard there was a
Tribal member majoring in archae-
ology at Portland State University,
they had to meet her.
Harrelson and Edwards wanted
Sharrah McKenzie to know who
they were and what they were
doing on the Reservation, so they
sought her out and brought her to
Grand Ronde to show her around.
Connecting McKenzie to her
homelands and her Tribal com-
munity might have turned out to
be the best part of the experience
for McKenzie.
“Even though I’m a Tribal member,
I don’t have that much experience
being here in the community,” says
McKenzie. “They (Harrelson and
Edwards) were talking about how
there was this opportunity to not only
be involved in archaeology because
I’m a senior at PSU, but also there
was an opportunity to learn more
about my community and where I
came from. So, I thought this was a
great opportunity.”
McKenzie says she knew she
“That has led to a good and growing
relationship over the years with
Sara. We had some needs so we
talked to her and she had some
needs because she wrapped up her
previous work, and this is an oppor-
tunity for her to continue looking at
methodologies that can minimize
that intrusiveness and still get you
the same understanding.”
Gonzalez, who received her doc-
torate from the University of Cal-
ifornia at Berkeley in 2011, was
recently hired at the University of
Washington as an assistant profes-
sor of anthropology in the Anthro-
pology Department. Her expertise
is indigenous archaeology done by
and for Native communities.
“Working with Native communi-
ties is something that is increasing
and becoming increasingly import-
ant across the United States and
wanted more experience in the
field of archaeology.
“I want to gain more skills and
learn more about the different field
methods before I graduate,” says
McKenzie. “And I’m definitely in-
terested in learning more about
my community and my Tribe, and
the people who live here."
At the dig site, McKenzie was
motivated to be part of the field
school opportunity and said so.
“Actually getting in the field
and getting my hands on is really
awesome,” says McKenzie. “It’s
exciting to be out here. I just love
learning more and more.”
She says the landscape was
inspiring.
“Not a bad view every day,” says
McKenzie as she turns to Spirit
Mountain. “Getting to come out
here and do indigenous archae-
ology is really interesting because
it’s something I have never done
before. Coming here made me
feel a lot more comfortable iden-
tity-wise. Before this I was more
of an outsider. I found I actually fit
with this. It actually feels like home
a little bit.” n
Canada,” says Gonzalez. “This kind
of work takes a village to do it.”
Gonzalez has previously worked
with two California Tribes – the
Kashia Band of Pomo Indians and
the Amah Mutsun Band of Ohlone.
“My work brings together an-
thropological, historical, feminist
and indigenous methods in the
study and representation of Na-
tive American colonial heritage,”
says Gonzalez. “Community-based
participatory research with both
the Tribal community and the Cal-
ifornia Department of Parks and
Recreation has been used to create
archaeology that works for the
Tribal community. It is conducted
in accordance with their cultural
values and that empowers them in
the management and representa-
tion of their cultural heritage.”
Harrelson and Edwards say they
wanted to partner with Gonzales
because of her background and
experience, but Harrelson asked
Gonzalez why she wanted to con-
tinue her specialty work here in
Grand Ronde.
“It really depends on having
mutual respect and trust and a
relationship that is ongoing and
a relationship that you can see
will develop further,” says Gonza-
lez. “All those things really came
together in this case. It’s a place
where I feel comfortable doing
work. I feel like we are building
a trusting relationship and I can
bring students here and create a
really unique educational environ-
ment that is a comfortable envi-
ronment for students so that they
can learn.”
For Gonzalez, the distance be-
tween Seattle and Grand Ronde
is negated by the opportunity. She
says she wants students to come
away from the field school with
a truer understanding of what
archaeology is, what it can be and
what it should be.
Gonzalez says she also wants
her students to understand what
Tribal history is and what its im-
portance and relevance is for their
daily lives.
“Most students are surrounded
by Native history,” says Gonzalez.
“In this context they are able to
learn that history and understand
its deep relevance to people today.
Our hope is that they have a larger
understanding of what’s going on
here.”
Gonzalez says the field school
is the first step in becoming an
archaeologist and she wants to
produce archaeologists who get it.
“I expect all the students who
come through this program will
understand the importance of
working in a respectful and collab-
orative manner with Tribes,” says
Gonzalez. “This is the future of
what I see in archaeology. As little
as 10 or 15 years ago this type of
thing was unheard of. There is a
difference between telling someone
what their history is and listening
to what their history is and working
with them to further contribute to
it. These students are really the
future in creating that change.”
Edwards says the field school will
focus on recovering information
about one of the largest unseen el-
ements in history – Native children.
“We are working at the old grade
school location,” says Edwards of
the dig site just north of the inter-
section of Highway 22/Hebo Road
and Grand Ronde Road. “Grand
Ronde has a long history of schools.
Education has been a long element
here. We want to be able to shed
some light on this because children
are the continuity through time.
Here is an opportunity to take
from the past and bring it into the
future.”
Harrelson says working at the old
school site can help the community
gain a greater understanding of
the area.
“The question is, ‘Are there
sub-surface deposits of material
See ARCHAEOLOGY
continued on page 15