Preservation is, obviously, an essential part of archaeology; if artifacts aren’t preserved then archaeologists don’t have anything to study. There are many perspectives, ideologies, methods, and budgets that must be taken into account. The viewpoint that is most often thought about and highlighted is that of the academic. The academic perspective on preservation tends to run along the lines of everything should be preserved in a museum forever for future study. As a student this is the perspective I am most acquainted with but it is not the most relevant. The perspective of the indigenous group that the site in question actually belongs to is one that is often overlooked or dismissed by other stakeholders. It is extremely valuable and should be, at the very least, taken into consideration.

The indigenous opinion tends to be thought about as one homogenous outlook without considering the diverse opinions between and within each community. Each individual likely has a slightly different outlook on preservation. Through our work with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office I have learned about some of the strategies The Confederate Tribes of the Grand Ronde employ. Some of these methods include things like keeping sites private from the public, hiding sites in plain view, and turning them into tourist destinations for people to come and learn. These options are not always viable though. More often than not the tribe does not legally own the land the site is on. In these cases compromises must be reached but there is no guarantee that these arrangements will turn out in favor of the indigenous group. Many times the do not have any laws to use in their favor or the laws that can be used don’t have any way of being enforced.

Another issue that has become increasingly relevant is that of climate change. Sites will be degraded by natural processes but and sometimes that is something that you have to accept. Nature would take those sites whether humans were around or not. But with climate change that is being accelerated by human activity we are seeing some types of sites degrade at faster rates. For example rising sea levels submerge and destroy coastal sites and acid rain wears away at rock art and formations. This brings up the question of whether or not people have a responsibility to protect the sites that we are technically destroying. As a general practice I believe that we should look to the tribes that the sites belong to and work according to their wishes. While they may not be exactly sure either, letting them decide what the want and helping them make that a reality is the best way to go about it. It is their history, their culture, and their belongings.

Sight. With a field of work that depends on the interpretations your eyes make, it’s relevant, right? Step back for a moment, think about the anomalies in life that make up what we see; the ways in which we recognize and can see differences in relief.

In the last three weeks I’ve learned that I see what I am looking for, but seeing what I am supposed to see as an archaeologist is difficult.

We’ve spent two weeks learning how to use a compass, operate a total station, a GHSS GPS receiver and even a GSSI Ground Penetrating Radar in order to produce detailed maps of both the surface of archaeological sites and their subsurface deposits. The newer technology provides scientific byways of acquiring knowledge of a site, but oral histories, stories and legend are other culturally rich ways of learning of place and practice. While learning how to use these newer technologies we’ve poured over maps and photos planning the best ways to study a place with as minimal impact as possible. All of these techniques are avenues of sight we are developing and learning how to use.

Using the total station paired with Field Genius, a mapping software program, we can see exactly where a point in space once we’ve measured it. Likewise, using Terrasync paired with a GNSS GPS receiver, we can see the lines, points, and polygons, we have created while recording a place. Learning how to use these tools has been an equivalent to drinking straight from a fire hose. More information you thing is possible to process, but the awesome thing about experiential learning is that you do process all of the information given to you. This may not happen in the lab, but in the field, jumping into surveying using these techniques, opened my eyes. No pun intended.

For example we left Grand Ronde, OR, for a field trip in the Willamette National Forest to assist the CTGR THPO and the U.S. Forest Service in a surface pedestrian survey. Our instructors had us line up two meters apart and look for anything that didn’t belong. Here’s that experiential learning coming into play as well as the problem of seeing what I’m supposed to see as an archaeologist and tribal historic preservationist. After a few frustrating hours of no finding anything. I finally found something: a rusty hatchet. By the style and wear I’m guessing it was Forest Service issued perhaps a year or two ago. The entire experience made me laugh. You know why? The hatchet didn’t belong. It was neither a representative of the recent occupation by an unauthorized gathering, nor related to the past practices of Mollala, Kalapuya, and Klamath peoples.

I realized I had become so focused on finding a particular thing; I was missing everything around me. The absence of something can tell you just as much about a place as the things present. I was looking for lithic debitage, expecting to find obsidian flakes or tools, but I was missing the bigger picture. Briece Edwards, Principal Archaeologist for the CTGR THPO, reiterate over and over, “that once you understand practice, you understand place.” I realized I wasn’t seeing the site as an active place with resources that still used today.

In that moment of discovery, the seeing of the sight became much more than surveying and mapping the mountain meadows around me. It became seeing for the first time how a place becomes and remains important. It is not only the objects found or holes dug that make a place or practice important, but also the viewsheds, the freshwater springs, the trees surrounding the meadows, and the visits to a place that leave no material traces.

This field trip was a way for me to begin the process of seeing place as living things that have history, artifacts, meaning but also their future. Surveying was a new skill that helped facilitate this. I couldn’t have learning this in a classroom or a lab. It was something I had to learn in the field; making mistakes in order to learn how to constantly adjust my focus so that I wouldn’t miss the bigger picture of a sight, and every sight is worth truly seeing.

I am a Native American tribal member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. Since I can remember my father has tried to enhance my knowledge of my Native American heritage. He would take me to pow-wows, teach me traditional beadwork and show me how to cook classic Native American foods. When I was younger I loved engaging in these activities, but around sixteen years old I began separating myself from the culture. Like most teenagers, I began concentrating more on school, friends and social activities. When I was eighteen I moved to San Diego for College to pursue an archaeology degree. I took all of the offered archaeology courses, but quickly ran out of classes due to the schools lacking archaeology program. I decided to go back home to Portland and enroll in Portland State University’s archaeology program. I have now been at PSU for 2 years and will be graduating in the Fall of 2015. Moving back to Portland has not only allowed me to enhance my skills in archaeology but has allowed me to reconnect with my cultural ties. Through the means of random luck, I got in touch with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) at Grand Ronde. I had the opportunity to meet up with all of the members of the THPO office, one of which was a prestigious archaeologist. They informed me about an indigenous archaeology field school that was taking place on the Grand Ronde tribal land. Once I heard about the field school I could hardly believe that I would have the opportunity to practice archaeology on my own tribal land. I felt as though this was a chance to finally piece together the two things that I am most passionate about in my life. I am now four weeks into the archaeology field school and I could not be happier. I have had the privilege of learning about the Grand Ronde tribes post treaty history and how that has shaped them as a tribe today. I learned about their society, modern culture, and traditional practices. Having the opportunity to be physically present on the tribal grounds has given me a feeling of comfort. I have been wanted to reconnect with my cultural heritage, but felt like archaeology was something that was more important to pursue. Being a part of this field school has not only allowed me to embrace and learn more about my Native American heritage, but has given me the chance to apply archaeological concepts to my own tribe and community of people.