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Engaging with Publics Online

Posted on by criticalmistake

Personally, I have taken this course for the past two semesters and I found it to be a positive and wonderful project, however,  I never quite felt like we were reaching an audience. The internet is expressed as being the platform individuals go to in reaching their updates on the world. This proves to be true but I also have experienced individuals that have taken a stance on the internet because it often provides a lot of negative information. There are also individuals that struggle to access internet or media platforms and prefer to get their information from the news.

I am an individual that does not focus my primary finds in either, though if I had to choose one, I get  most of my information online. With this said, I do not have a lot of social media. I have gone through Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Facebook, and more. The only social media platforms I have left are Snapchat, Tumblr, and Facebook. With these three social media platforms I hardly check either of them. Instead, I read my Google picked articles that are selected for me everyday. This is my source of information, and if I am feeling a bit fancy I will watch the news.

Now, this story is not to share my distance towards the internet. Instead, it is to share that I am a younger individual and I, myself, cannot seem to tolerate social media for long. Rocks-Macqueen mentions that there is no way we could use all social media and I agree with this statement. In my first couple semester attending university I was involved in the Anthropology Club as Public Relations. I was given social media accounts we had as a club as was instructed to post frequently to ensure our followers were up-to-date. Initially I thought this was a fantastic idea until I quickly realized it was impossible for me to post on five different accounts in the split of a second the update our followers. In time, we reduced our social media appearance and I found that to be more manageable. The club was then reduced to Facebook and Instagram.

For our project, I am torn between these two platforms for our project because I am unaware of the follow count on each, generally. Both platforms have made advancements that are great for our project, such as offering a “going live” feature. With this feature our followers could watch what we are doing in real time and have the opportunity to ask questions as well. Considering we are reaching a larger audience I believe that Facebook may be the better source of information because it could be treated similar to a blog whereas Instagram would be composed more as pictures. Additionally, because our graves date to earlier times we are likely reaching an assumed older audience. Because Facebook (2004) had been around for a longer time period than Instagram (2010) a larger portion of our audience may be more likely to have Facebook accounts than Instagram accounts. Lastly, though blogging is interesting I believe this website reaches a more academia audience than a general public audience for the fact that before this class I have been completely unaware of this website.

Final Reflection – Spring 2018

Posted on by criticalmistake

Having taken this course before I was a bit hesitant about the new opportunities it would offer. Though I was nervous, Dr. Rowe provided such amazing news at the end of last semester and at the beginning of the new semester about how our project was developing. Recent developments showed we would be getting additional technology and more acknowledgement towards our project. My first semester working on this project was certainly fun, but this semester was a little more fun and exciting because the project moved more smoothly. Last semester we were still figuring out technology and constantly running through the same grave sites to redocument their data. While this semester we still encountered those troubles, it was reduced extremely, and we had more people working allowing us to move at a faster pace. With everyone working together and effectively we have been able to document so many graves at a much smoother, faster rate and that was real exciting news to hear. Another thing that was exciting was having the news people come out to the cemetery to see what we do. With the reporter came a few people to talk about their family members that were buried at the cemetery. I had no problem being on the news or included for even a second, but I decided that I would keep it low and just work on what needs to be done. As I worked on one of the graves, the two females that came with the reporter began walking up to me and questioning what the class does when we find an individuals family member, how we go about the data we find, etc. I provided the best answers I could offer, and the two females were pleased. Next thing I notice they are talking about a distant cousin that was buried just a few graves away from the grave I was working on at the time. This semester has been insanely exciting because I was able to work with equipment I did not get much time with last semester. I am now more comfortable with documenting information online and I move at a much faster pace because I have gotten the hang of the system, though I do constantly finding myself referring back to the cheat sheet we are provided. So far, my favorite piece of equipment is the Total Station. I do not have much experience working on the actual station but I have had an acceptable amount of experience with holding the Prism. In all honesty, it might be my favorite thing. In addition to using the walkie talkies. We have been working at an incredible pace that it is truly satisfying. I catch myself wondering what we will do next. There is still so much more work to be done but at the efficiency the class has been working on I have no doubt that everything will be getting put together in the next couple years. The whole project is amazing but there is only one thing that tends to make it difficult and that is the weather. Last semester, in addition to learning the equipment, the heat made it difficult to work as effectively. This semester it has been much easier to work effectively because the weather was cooler a majority of the time. On an occasion or two we were rained out near the end of class. I thought that was exciting because everyone was rushing to get the equipment covered up and put away while others were out there finishing up the grave they were working on, me being one of those people. Near the end of the semester is when the heat started coming back but with the water that is provided for us it always makes it a little easier to get work done! The cemetery is a very interesting place. When we returned to the site there was so much color and it really showed that individuals do continue to come and see their family members and place new offerings. With that came other interesting finds that some of the new teammates found when they went adventuring around the site. That is another cool feature of the project. Fresh eyes could find new things that in other words would have gone unnoticed. That brings me to my most exciting find! One day I was looking around the cemetery and I found old animal remains and it was super interesting for me because I felt like I was a detective looking at everything that was around the animal and imagining the life it lived on its final days. Unfortunately, for the semester, the class had to come to an end and with that came planning for next semester! The project finished off on a positive note. We mapped almost all the graves on our final day at the site and it was all done over the course of a year, give or take. On our final day of the semester we wrapped up with our progress throughout the semester and began to plan for the upcoming year. There are so many great and exciting things planned up ahead for the team and the community! We thought of ways to better the effectiveness of the project and how we would incorporate our new plans. Laying out the cemetery and transferring data will be a lot of work but once the data is all put together and sorted the team will be seeing great results. Unfortunately, I will not be able to see the project all the way through, but with what I was exposed to, I had so much fun and learned so much. If I am ever able to offer my time to the project, I will because with all the upcoming projects to fulfill our ultimate goal it will be super exciting and a great learning opportunity. I do not plan to spoil the tasks our team has in store, but I can confirm that it will be a wonderful (and semi-required) characteristic to reach our goal!

Spring 2018 Reflection

Posted on by archaeoangel04

The Hidalgo County Public Cemetery Project lead by Dr. Sarah Rowe in order to restore dignity, awareness and identify countless unmarked graves whose records have been lost/abandoned at the Public Cemetery in Edinburg, TX formally known as Pauper Cemetery on Schunior Street, east of Expressway 83. This project began in the Fall of 2017 as a field-based Public Archaeology course where Dr. Rowe and 17 students identified and recorded hundreds of unmarked graves with the help of a forensic K9 unit from California. The project continues in the Spring of 2018 and I am fortunate enough to have been able to join in this amazing project. I missed out on the start of the project because of conflicting class times, but I was not going to miss out this opportunity again. I got to experience actual field experience right here in the city that I was born and raised in.

On my first on-site class day I was shocked to find out that the Pauper Cemetery was a less than 5-minute drive from my house. I have actually passed by this cemetery countless times on my way to school and never thought twice about it. I never knew about the public sector of the cemetery because it was on the outskirts of the property. Dr. Rowe was very enthusiastic about the projected and it was contagious because this is exciting work, discovering and identifying the lost identities of the loved ones of the people who live in this area. The work itself is thrilling on its own, and knowing that we are helping others reconnect with grandparents, great-great grandparents, etc. At about 11 A.M. Dr. Rowe instructed us on the data collecting and provided us with charts and measuring tape/rulers to help us correctly identify and measure the various types of gravestones throughout the cemetery, and sharpies to mark the recorded graves in order to avoid double recording. My first day was just grave recording but it was still a very fun because I was getting into the groove of what we were going to be doing for the rest of the semester.

The following week at the cemetery the Total Station Theodolite (an electronic/optical instrument that shoots a laser at a prism placed over the surrounding points of a grave in order to survey individual graves) was brought out and I was intrigued because this was the first time that I got to use an actual archaeological tool. Watching how the Total Station was set up and calibrated and actually recording measurements was something that I enjoyed doing because I was learning a skill that could help me in the future if I’m lucky enough to be a part of another project. Another benefit of working the Total Station was practicing teamwork and communication because for most days at the cemetery there were 2-4 students working the TS actively giving grave numbers and point locations, and letting the prism team know when it was okay to move. Admittingly there were times where there was miscommunication that resulted in redoing grave measurements, but we got better as the semester went on.

The Total Station is important but going grave to grave collecting the data is this semester focus point and it allows you to explore and get to know the area. Something that we saw a lot of while data collecting was Brujeria or witchcraft spread out throughout the cemetery. Tied up Voodoo dolls with pins in them were found near or on the grave and we were advised not to touch them for safety reasons and no one really wanted to because they’re Voodoo dolls and those are generally nasty business. The dolls would be in a variety of colors and sizes, form what I saw there were red, blue, green, and black. Whether the color of the doll meant anything is unknown to me but something I would look into. One specific run in with Brujeria that was curious to me and a few classmates was a small olive jar wrapped in a black cloth that was filled with soil, garlic cloves, Chile seeds, possibly other herbs, and two photos tied together with paper clip chains. We could all agree that this was both interesting and frightening but our curiosity was too strong but we stayed away from anything else for the remainder of the semester. Another unsettling thing were the infant graves, and there were quite a few of them, but given that some of these graves do go back to the late 19th century, medicine unfortunately was not as advanced as it is today.

Each grave is special and important to someone somewhere so identifying them and knowing their story is crucial. Most of the graves are as I said before 100 years old and very worn out/damage to a point that we barely get a name and date of birth/death. Although there was one large grave that a fellow classmate recorded that I assisted with because it was so large. It was nearly destroyed and littered. We thought that there was no marker left to tell us who the deceased was until we turned over a slab and noticed faint inscriptions that were unreadable until we filled in the engraving with dirt, then it was crystal clear. This one was interesting because it told an actual story of the deceased, his name, when and where he was born, and when/how he died. When we read and recorded the findings we were ecstatic like when you finally solve a riddle/mystery. At the end of this semester we recorded over a thousand graves, nearly all of them. On our last class of the semester Dr. Rowe went over next semesters curriculum that involves using more of tech like Ground Penetrating Radar, 3D Modeling, drones, etc. but in the Fall the class will be splitting the work load of data cleaning/mining and cemetery work. I am looking forward to doing diving back into the work because this is valuable experience and personally fulfilling to learn about the people form my area and giving the that information back to the public.

To whom we communicate to

Posted on by theesel23

Mitch Allen’s article introduced me into a better understanding of the type of audience archaeologists speak to and how those words are communicated to a much bigger audience. I’m sure this applies to all fields, because really, only we are the masters of our specialized field. Much of what we say can sound like jargon to the general population. As Allen says, “the general reading public forms the vast bulk of those casually interested in archaeological information.” Yet, the rest are from a “hidden” audience much more engaged in our commitment to express our scholarly knowledge. How we balance the two and reach our intended audience, is how Allen suggests his ten rules.

The audience described by Allen and to those we speak out to regarding the cemetery project are very similar. In a way I feel that we may get more interest from the general public, especially to those whom have been effected by our presence at the cemetery. They wonder what we are doing and why we are there. Why does each grave have a flag marker and a number. Why is the focus solely in one part of the entire cemetery and not the rest. These are some of the highlights that can hook a reader into wondering what exactly is the Hidalgo County Public Cemetery Project.

We should be explaining an introduction to the history of the cemetery, its previous name & meaning, location on the map, when it was built, how active it is and the range of people buried there (1800-1900’s). The history and purpose of utrgv students engaging with the community to help restore, is really the insight of the story. People can watch from afar and wonder what it is what we do on our phones, the pictures we take, measurements…

In the end we hope to have data restored and organized with a detailed 3D map, but really the beauty comes in all the hard work that it takes to get there and ultimately present a nicer picture to others. Often we see the end result but don’t take in the process and I think its interesting to share the ongoing work and commitment that represents the project. By providing facts, pictures,  blogs with a students voice and point of view, we can “talk in plain english”, and “to a single reader”. Others can be just as engaged and informed while leaving an open door to share their thoughts.
Pictures speak a thousand words and I think we can portray a lot with even pictures alone. Perhaps some unique graves, or interesting finds. Of course without disturbing or disrespecting anyone. The format we should be portraying is knowledgeable, ethical and reflective. For those who may not be far deep into archaeological interest can still read and be captured by our many means of communication and information that keeps them coming back for more. What I believe we hope to achieve as a group, is to get more people involved and informed through out the entire process so that we each may learn and grow for the benefit of the community/project. Image may contain: plant, outdoor and nature

Image may contain: one or more people, hat, grass, child, outdoor and nature

What Public Archaeology Means To Me

Posted on by bonemedic135

For me Public Archaeology is a way to bring history and maybe a sense of identity to a community. I never thought I would be involved in a project like this and so far it has been an experience I won’t forget. Combining professional archaeology with the community has helped identify some graves at HCPC that had been unidentifiable due to a lack of a grave marking. Having Archaeologists engaging with the community has also helped students get a better understanding of some items encountered at HCPC. For example, we have found many religious materials that we didn’t understand their meaning. Fortunately after asking a few local friends from the area, we were able to know the meanings for some of the materials observed.

This project so far has been very inspiring and I have been enjoying being a part of something that is giving back to the community. Some families have come forward and have asked if we could find a lost relative. Having that type of goal for me is what I am looking for. I am hoping to pursue a career in forensic anthropology to be able to identity human remains and give families closure. I intend to remain active with this project for as long as possible so that I can continue gaining the experience I’ll need in the future. In this class we don’t just learn how to use the equipment and collect data; we learn how to engage with the community through the media, social media and scholarly conferences. Hopefully this fall we will be able to have some type of event with the community at HCPC as Dr. Rowe has suggested.

Spreading The Wonder Of Archaeology

Posted on by archaeoangel04

In Mitch Allen’s article he talks about the “Hidden Audience” in Archaeological writing who are not so much fellow colleague’s or students but regular people who have at least some interest in Archaeological work. There are casual Archaeologist who buy and read Archaeology magazines who have money to spend and choose to spend it supporting Archaeologist. With our Cemetery project our “Hidden Audience” would be the community and family members of the deceased we identify. Both Allen’s and the Cemetery project’s hidden audience are similar in the sense that there is wonder amongst the community. Many of the people who come by the cemetery are relatives of one of the deceased we have identified and are seeking information on their ancestors who lived and died here as far back as a century ago. All kinds of people from different parts of the world have been here throughout the centuries and the chance that someone of German decent is buried in this cemetery would pique the interest of many people not just scholars and student and it’s this kind of work that makes this project and Archaeology in general so important. Allen’s 10 rules for Archaeological writers can be seen in many articles and books not just by Archaeology, Peter A. Youngs article The Archaeologist as Storyteller incorporates these rules by hooking us with the hype of Archaeology being spread through various outlets like T.V., telling the stories of the Archaeologist who wrote for the Left Coast Press and making it personal by adding his own experiences there and continues to incorporate every other rule.

For the Cemetery project I believe we should be telling the stories of what we have found. All the graves with intricate, basic, and lack of headstones we found are amazing because each one was a person who has walk this earth and had a story. In this project we found more than grave, we found mystical items all around the site that gives us a glimpse into a little bit of the darker side of the Borderland culture. Everything we find is so exciting and by sharing the experience through our own words and emotion will help spread these feeling of wonder, amazement, and curiosity to the readers.

Public Archaeology and Education

Posted on by archaeoangel04

In her article Moe (2002) proposes that Educators and Public Archaeologist work together to breed better, more informed citizens that can identify and understand the importance of the past and its remnants. To do this, programs such as Project Archaeology Archaeologists and Educators are trained to understand one another in order to adequately pass on their unified skills and message to the future generations. Jeppson (2008) would agree with Moe, but not so much her methods because Jeppson believes that education is quite often not completely understood or appreciated, and if treated the same Education then Archaeology will follow in the same path. She would propose that Archaeology be taught as interrelated aspects of human life under Social Studies.

Both approached are very good but in regard to local education I believe that Moe’s approach might be most effective because understanding both the educational and Archaeological aspects would make the combining of the two go more smoothly. Knowing what to teach and how to teach it are key components in passing on knowledge to the children of the future which will inevitably create a better society.

 

 

Site Interpretation

Posted on by 1kapok

Rosewood, Florida has a lot of important history that helps determine the social changes that the United States faced during the early twentieth century. The destruction of many African-American towns was caused by a race riot in 1923. This riot caused a lot of people (mainly Blacks)  to lose their homes, have no place to live in and migrate out. To recover the historical racist and inequality of Rosewood riot event in 1923, Edward Gonzalez-Tennant placed together a Virtual Rosewood research project on the website; http://www.rosewood-heritage.net/. With this, he seeks that the public will remember, learn and “remind us that those who have forgotten are doomed to repeat (Gonzalez-Tennant: homepage).”

His webpage is very interesting because he put together oral history, 3D models, archive documentation (photos, maps, census, etc.). This gives the viewers multiple forms to fully witness and understand the past. Yet, it appears that Gonzalez-Tennant aim to reach towards the minorities for the research is about African-American being discriminated and evicted. Also, he points out towards the majority when he states; this historical event is to “remind us that those who have forgotten are doomed to repeat (Gonzalez-Tennant: homepage).” In other words, he wants the event to be remembered so the mistake will not be repeated. In all, he calls his project virtual reality for he is giving the viewers physical documents, maps, pictures,  and information about the site. With this, the people can see exactly how the time looked and how it has changed over time. He informs us that the history can as well help us see if there is still the presence of discrimination and inequality between races.

How can we learn from his virtual reality work and use it in our own the Hidalgo County Public Cemetery Project (HCPCP)? We know that digital techniques have been improving and more people are using the source. Even more, the internet gives worldwide access to the online material, making it not an issue to reach the long-distance areas. With the already created website, the HCPCP can, later on, add the data collections of the monumental structures. This will lead the HCPCP to become a more virtual reality by placing the information on the website. In fact, the current website is heading that way since we are informing the digital public of our project by giving them resources, our thoughts, and historical information. Hopefully, soon we can add some data collection to the site where the public can access the cemetery monuments and burial locations. Also, it would be great if we could provide the original list that the owner has of people buried in the cemetery. This would be very memorable to the family members and those who are interested in historical documents.

In furthering the advertisement, this Spring 2018 semester, we had the local channel 5 News at the site. Hopefully, a lot of locals watched the news and would like to come out and help or find their relatives. The newscast did a great story of Gloria Ramirez and her family members attempting to find their buried relative. The family members at the end found the monument through the use of our already collected data and the deceased name that they provided. It would be cool if the KRGV link of the video was posted on the HCPCP website so other can have easier access to the link. The link is found in http://t.co/00yVag6jod and is titled “Records Unknown, Graves Unmarked at Hidalgo Cemetery (Christian Von Preysing, 2018).” In connection, the web designer of Virtual Rosewood Gonzalez-Tennant public aim was towards everyone and he even has a documentary film of the site. Aside from the local news report,  maybe in the future, the area can be documented with relatives, students working the site, the cemetery workers that have helped out with maintenance and even add some history of the time period that the burials consist of. This will give the people more understanding of the deceased time period and the location historical events. Moreover, another aim that the project should trigger is the UTRGV students and other nearby college students that are interested in archaeological fieldwork. By sending out and posting flyer around campuses, students can contact the project director, Dr. Sarah M. Rowe, to participate in the project. This will aid the project in having more helpers to complete the collection more quickly. Also, it will give students more knowledge about the location and about anthropology fieldwork. The fieldwork can count towards volunteer work through the Engagement Zone website https://ez.utrgv.edu/ so volunteer workers can place it on their resumes. It is a win for everyone.

Like Gonzalez-Tennant, the aim for the HCPCP is to remember the past in order to learn and remind us of those who have been forgotten. With that, the cemetery burials will always be recorded in case if natural destruction occurs or other destructive factors. I honestly believe this archaeological fieldwork to be worthwhile because it helps the community’s culture maintenance, awareness of the region’s history, and connecting with the community. In all, the project website is doing great. Once the data is fully collected and revised, the HCPCP hopes to provide online access to each individual grave.

 

Engaging with Publics Online

Posted on by Dr. Sarah M. Rowe

Rocks-Macqueen emphasizes the considerable investment involved in online engagement, primarily through time commitments. He recommends considering the following when deciding which platforms to invest in:

  • are online platforms appropriate?
  • longevity/sustainability of the platform
  • Data/content potability
  • What are the (potential) conflicts between your needs and the platform’s needs?
  • Who is your audience?
  • What formats do you want to engage in (long-form writing, short bursts, multimedia, etc.)?
  • how open or closed is your platform?

Lauracuente outlines the potential of Twitter, as a micro-blogging platform, for engaging with people beyond public events. In particular, he highlights its utility for reaching free-choice learners.

Based on your experience blogging this semester, what Lauracuente writes about Twitter, and the considerations presented by Rocks-Macqueen, what type of social media outreach would be most effective for our project?

Communities, Stakeholders,

Posted on by theesel23

The fact that the meaning of community can change, or rather what it represents, demonstrates the importance of differences within a certain “community”. I would like to point out the picture used for the blog, and the sign that is being held. It says, “Black ancestors matter”. It is relevant because in this context, one would assume that all ancestors matter. So I believe it’s important to also be aware of the shared meanings of what community stands for.

The people in public archaeology are those that our work may both benefit and affect. In this case, it would be the region around which we are doing current work on. The Hidalgo county public cemetery and its family, friends, whom this project can reach. The cemetery shares its grounds with different communities, yet perhaps all from the Hidalgo county area. Which has a high community of Hispanics, as you will find many common last names at the section of the grave site where our service learning takes place.  As a local Hispanic myself, death and life are celebrated and appreciated greatly. Although I can share a common belief with the rest of the community, not everyone may have the same belief or understanding of our engagement with this project. With that being said, we must take into account the communities changing conceptions and work for the general good of the people. Identifying the community and its shared ideals may come easy, but I can see how some issues may arise within the same community of people who may think a little differently.

Helping others find loved ones or disturbing the peace? That’s a question I wondered from the beginning but there are so many great benefits for ourselves as students and the community who we collaborate with. So who are we doing this work for? Well, for us but also for the county that has many burials of family so close to home in need of restoration. It may also be safe to say that the students, the county’s cemetery and the families are the stakeholders.  I have attended for the Spring 2018 and have not heard or seen any complaints but rather received great interests. I can agree that even though we are working together, it is crucial to understand and respect the community around us. It’s easier for me to say and understand since I have lived here my whole life, but for others who do not share the same community in the RGV, the term is still integrated into other groups with their own shared interests.

If I were an outsider looking in, I would prefer that people get to know what our community stands for without making assumptions and understanding any differences. I speak predominantly on the side of the cemetery we are marking, knowing that others may be neglected but also being aware that the boundary we are crossing, if any, is in that of our own. That is the people we should be working with in a respectable manner that benefits the project and the rest of the community. Another great part of the RGV, is that we also have diverse communities that all share this one cemetery. They can all visit family in their own way.

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