Technical Brief, No. 15: State Archeology Weeks: Interpreting Archeology for the Public

12 Pages·1993·0.93 MB·English

by  Greengrass, Mara

I 29.59/6: 15
U.S. Department ofthe Interior Technical Brief No. 15
National Park Service October 1993
Cultural Resources ISSN 1057-1574
Departmental Consulting Archeologist Archeological Assistance
3 1604 019 774 100
State Archeology Weeks:
Interpreting Archeology for the Public
Mara Greengrass, ArcheologicalAssistanceDivision, NationalParkService
DOCUMENTS
fUBUC
ITEM
pefQSlTORY
Thistechnicalbriefisthefourth in aseriesonarcheo- introducing them to how arclWQjifeg^K done and why
logicalpubliceducation andoutreach.Itisaconden- preserving information about die past is important. In
sation ofthe best ideasfrom states across the country Arizona alone, well over 100,000g£f^$$lftd events
thathavesponsoredsuccessfularcheologyueeks.Hope- throughout the state every year. She .eoafits at an
fully, theseideaswillencourageotherstostartanarche- archeology week can range from tours ofactive exca-
ologyweekorinspirethosewhoalreadysponsorone.
vations to a demonstration of flintknapping (in South
TheinformationuascollectedthroughasurveyofState Dakota's archeology week, visitors attempted to spear
Historic Preservation Officers, personal communica- a cardboard mastodon with an atlatl). A few states
tion with archeology ueek coordinators, and from (Arizona and Virginia forexample) have found arche-
calendars, brochures, reports,grantrequests, andother ology week programs so popular and successful they
documents. The author researched and wrote the have expanded them into month-long celebrations.
manuscriptin thesummerof1992asan undergradu-
atestudent-volunteerwith theArcheologicalAssistance The first statewide archeology weekwas organized in
DivisionoftheNationalParkService.
Arizona, in 1983. Originally the celebration consisted
Thesekindsofpubliceducationandoutreachactivities ofasmall exhibit and a fewevents and limited public-
proinde important opportunitiesfor non-archeologists ity. Whenthe public supported the initial efforts, other
to learn about modem archeology. Via these celebra- aspects were added and approaches became more
tions, the message ofthe importance ofarcheological sophisticated (Hoffman and Lerner 1988:1-2).
resourcesandtheneedtoprotectthemcanbedelivered
tofertile, attentive minds. Archeology ueeksexemplify Other states began to follow Arizona, with North
the kinds ofpublic outreach efforts calledfor in the Carolina following in 1987 and Idaho, New Mexico,
National Strategyfor Federal Archeology, which the and Louisiana in 1988. According to a survey ofall 50
Department ofInterior ispromotingfor Federal and states (see table 2), in the period 1983-1992 17 states
otherarcheologyprograms.
held archeology weeks and five had smaller scale
activitiessuch as anarcheologydayata museumoran
Why Have an ArcheologyWeek? archeologyweekend. Inthesummerof1992, fivemore
stateswere planningtheirfirstarcheology'weeks, tobe
The interpretation ofarcheology forthe general public held in late 1992 or 1993-
has received increased attention in the United States
for several years. Its importance is now widely recog- The idea is catching on across the border as well. In
nized, consideringthe public'spowertohelporhinder 1991, the Canadian province ofSaskatchewan decided
archeological preservation and research. Experience to capitalize on die success ofits Archaeology Games
has shown that an educated populace will supportthe and Crafts Fair by expanding into a week-long event.
protection ofarcheological resources, not loot orvan-
dalizethem. Informedcitizenswill supportarcheologi- Statesthathavetriedanarcheologyweek havedeemed
cal inventories, excavations, collections management, it a success. The work involved in creating an archeol-
and interpretation. Indeed, the public has a desire to ogyweek may be great, but the relative monetarycost
know more about the past. is low. Coordinators forthe archeologyweek in Illinois
estimated that die 1991 cash expenditure per person
As a statewide program, an archeology week has the whoattended an archeologyweek eventwasabout 2^
potential to reach thousands ofpeople in a wide area, cents; when stafftime expenditures were included the
per attendee cost rose to about a dollar (Katz, Katz, success ... I don't think we could do what we do
andWilliams 1992: 18). without them" (personal communication 1991).
Itisimportanttonotethatanarcheologyweekrequires The central organizing office varies among states. In
the concerted effort of motivated and dedicated peo- somecasesitisthestate archeologist'soffice, inodiers,
ple. It is not a project to enter into hastily or lightly. the state historic preservation office. Often the week is
While the potential gain in public awarenessisdifficult co-sponsored by another group such as an amateur
to measure, people sponsoring die events agree that society, an organization of professional archeologists,
die effort ofan archeologyweek isworthwhile. oraFederalagency.Inallcasesanorganizingfunction,
which keeps track of events, is absolutely crucial. In
some states the organizing office also acts as a central
Organization
clearinghouse of information. This has the advantage
Planning an archeologyweek involves a great deal of of centralizing information, but it also may leave too
effort and coordination. Many archeology week coor- much ofdie work forone group.
dinators suggest that success lies in distributing the
work among many local groups. It is essential that Mseanntaytisvteatfersomuseeacahcoofmtmhietptaereticoifpaattinlgeagsrtouopnse. rWehpreen-
people begin to feel as though archeology relates to
diem (this grassroots approach works for the planning diecommitteemeets,anditsexactfunction,variesfrom
group and die audience). Getting die local community place to place. For instance, in Arizona the organizing
committee meets once at the beginning of planning,
involvedwill help get people's attention quickly.
roughly six mondis before the start of the archeology
Across die country, avocational organizations have week, to make majordecisions and divide responsibil-
been instrumental in all aspects ofarcheology weeks. ity. Once this is done contact between committee
Teresa Hoffman, Arizona'sdeputystate historicpreser- members is only between individuals.
vation officer, called avocational groups die "key to
In most cases, the committee's purpose is to plan die
overall event, to encourage participation by local or-
ALASKA ARCHAEOLOGY WEEK ganizations, and to be the clearinghouse for infonna-
don, not to do all the work. In New Mexico, the
""* MARCH28-APRIL3,1993 committee forHeritage Preservation Week is responsi-
ble for overall publicity, but local sponsors must plan
and publicize individual events.
Time and Scheduling
Obviously, die first move must be to choose a time
period for the proposed program. March, April, and
May are the most popular mondis, although in 1991
Virginia chose October and Louisiana chose Septem-
ber. The choice depends on when there is archeologi-
cal activity and die time ofyearwhen die weatherwill
permit.
The earlierplanningisstarted, the moredmetherewill
be to make arrangements, get commitments from indi-
viduals and organizations, and schedule events. Most
states hold the first organizational meeting several
mondisbeforethedatechosenforanarcheologyweek.
Although someagenciesandorganizations mightcom-
plain that it is difficult to commit to specifics so far in
advance, an early starting point is vital to allow coor-
dinators and sponsoring groups enough dme to shape
quality programs. Starting early also leaves dme to
JW*W*OT*^>*'W*W*OT*W*W*OT*W^^
fundraise and design promotional posters and bro- can participate if coordinators are able to provide
chures. honoraria, or at least expenses. However, other states
havehadnoproblemfindingparticipantsevenwithout
As soon as the archeologyweek committee agrees on honoraria. It may depend on the resources of each
a date for the event, everyone who might sponsor a individual state.
program, donate money, or contribute in any way
should be notified. Specify a date for receiving re- To cover honoraria and other costs, some states have
sponses that will allow time to print a calendar of begun requesting grants from non-profit organizations
events. In Arkansas, organizers try to notify potential suchastheArkansas, Illinois,andLouisianahumanities
sponsors by early October in order to print a schedule councils. If a funder is willing to contribute money to
by February for a program in earlyApril.
Several other issues are paramount to a successful
archeologyweek.Thesetopics, includingfinancialand
volunteer support, publicity, and appropriate and
popular events, will be covered in the next sections.
Sponsors: Giving Money and Energy
Archeology week committees have been increasingly
inventive in soliciting helpand findingco-sponsors. In
manystatestheSAorSHPO beganthe efforttopresent
an archeology program to the public. Federal agencies
such as the National Park Service, the Bureau ofLand
Management, and the Forest Service have worked
extremely hard on many states' archeology weeks,
offering both money and time.
In most states, the primary source for volunteer time
and energy, though not necessarily for large amounts
ofmoney, has been avocational organizations. Groups
such as die archeological societies of Virginia, North
Carolina, and Colorado already support the cause of
archeology and are ready to help spread the word.
Their eagerness to plan programming, draft speakers,
and staff booths and tables is a mainstay in any
archeologyweek project.
Museums and universities are also potential places to
look for archeologyweek support, including sponsor-
ship of programs. Museums have an audience that is pay honoraria, the coordinators can spend more time
prepared and willing to learn, as well as facilities for onprogrammingandlessonfindingmoney.Ofcourse,
exhibits and lectures. Universities have a variety of such grants are never guaranteed and may come with
lecture facilities and, although some universities have strings attached. For instance, funders usually require
not been enthusiastic about joining in an archeology a final report and/or strict documentation ofexpendi-
week, many have been quite helpful. tures. Handling the documentation necessary to man-
age a grant can be complicated. However, if other
Professional archeological associations, e.g., the Idaho funds are not adequate, these complications are justi-
AdvisoryCouncil ofProfessionalArchaeologists, might fied.
be called upon to co-sponsor events or offer people
willing to donate time, if not money. Archeologists It is nearly impossible to estimate die amount of time
ready to lecture or give demonstrations are obviously donated by everyone who helps to organize an arche-
anessentialcomponentofanyarcheologyweek. Some ology week; die only data available are on die hours
states have found that more professional archeologists worked by coordinators. Two New Mexico organizers
said they worked approximately 600 hours each on Publicity
1992's archeology week, and Virginia estimates 1,279
hourswere putinby the staffofthe state'sdepartment An archeology week will never succeed widiout pub-
of historic resources. Other estimates vary from a licity. There is no point in creating fabulous programs
month for one coordinatorto 200 hours for a sponsor- ifnooneknowsaboutdiem. Plantospendagreatdeal
ing organization, to several months of full-time work of time before die week finding ways to publicize its
programs.
for a group ofpeople.
One source ofsupportthat only sixstates have tipped There is always a certain amount of free publicity
islocal business. In Massachusetts much ofthe money available. Many states ask their governor, state or
for archeology week was donated by three power national Congressional representatives, or local offi-
companies in exchange for goodwill publicity. Mon- cials to write a statement proclaiming "Archeology
tana raised so much money from businesses that in Awareness Week." This, and many well-written and
1992 there were several thousand dollars left over for widelycirculatednewsreleases,willprobablygetsome
the nextyear. There are many usefultilings businesses media attention. However, severalstatesreliedentirely
can contribute. A printing company might donate the onthiskindoffreepublicityandwerenotassuccessful
printing of a poster, asking only that its name appear as they had hoped to be. However, diere are other
on it. Arizona received die use of municipal buses to types ofpublicity available free ofcharge.
shuttlepeoplefromatownparkinglottoatouroflocal
ruins.Sometimesabusinesswantstosponsoraspecific Whenthegoal istoreachawideaudiencewidiaslittle
event, e.g., in Louisiana, a chemical company fully moneyas possible, thereare manyallieswhocan help
funded a public excavation on its property as part of get your message across. In Idaho, public television
archeologyweek, with the moneygoingdirectlytodie filmed a 5-minute spot on archeology week, airing it
archeologists on die dig rather than through die arche- for several weeks before "Masterpiece Theatre." Simi-
ology week budget. larly, inArizona, PBSassistedinadvertisingarcheology
week by running shows on local and nadonal archeo-
logical issues the week prior to the events. Massachu-
setts found diat radio talk shows can be useful in
publicizing events. Colorado combined radio and TV
when Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell did minute-
DiscoveringNewWorlds long public service announcements forboth.
Through Archaeology Ifdie budget allows, a more personal form ofcontact
can be made through die mail. Organizations related
to archeology, liistoric preservation, and history can
supplymailing lists. Iflocal and regional organizations
can be persuaded to include announcements ofarche-
ology week programs in dieir newsletters, the word
will reach even more people. Nebraska had success
widi free distribution of archeology week brochures
dirough a localWelcome Wagon group. In NewMex-
ico a power company agreed to enclose a brochure
about archeologyweekwith its montlilybills. Tliissort
of direct mailing enabled die organizers to reach
thousands more people.
A calendar of events, giving specific locations and
phone numbers for people to call, is vitally important.
Printing the calendar as a brochure has worked well
for most states, although Virginia has so many events
Archaeology diat its calendar is quite bulky. Coordinators recom-
October3-12. 1992 mend a simple and easily understandable design diat
includesseveral phone numbers tocall for more infor-
mation.Thecalendarcanbesenttolibraries, museums,
and schools to be displayed and distributed to die
patrons and students.
One wonderful publicity tool is a dramatic poster; it
gets people's attention and remains even after arche-
ology week is over. If a poster is printed every year
people will begin to anticipate it. New Mexico consid-
ers its poster so important that organizers have given
it spending priority over the calendar of events. Tine
postercanbe sentalongwith otherinformation on the
archeology week to schools, museums, and libraries
forpublicdisplay.Additionalexposurecanbeobtained
by placing posters in liigh-traffic areas such as book-
stores, supermarkets, and shopping malls.
Although Arkansas has had great success with selling
its posters, several coordinators recommend that they
be given away instead of sold, as tempting as that
fundraising prospect is. First, sales require extra book-
TEXAS
keeping, and second, those who buy the poster will
likely already know and love archeology. This is one ARCHEOLOGY
of many difficult decisions that must be made by the
AWARENESS WEEK
sponsor or committee.
Pasoswtaesr palrroedaudcytisounggceossttesd,catnhebecoshtigchan(sbeeerteadbulece1d)wbiutth, loinm ProtectingOur ^rcheologi<aland IBstork Sites
donations from businesses and Federal agencies. In
April 11-17, 1992
Table 1 PosterProduction
COPIES COST
and provide an abundance ofartwork. Idaho received
Alaska 6,000 n/a 175 entriesin 1991. However, postercontests are risky
Arizona 5-7,000 $4000 since they may not generate artwork suited to the
poster format and a cash prize may be necessary to
Arkansas 1,500 $1200 entice people to participate (Sebastian and Cusliman
Colorado 7,000 $5000 1992: 55). A state may want to bill the event as an art
competition rather than a poster contest. That way,
Idaho 3,000 $850 organizers can showcase top work in a poster or
several in an exhibit.
Mississippi 300 n/a
Montana n/a $2000 There are other little giveaways that may be included,
such as bookmarks orotherbrochures. Small, portable
NewMexico 2,500 $800 itemsareusefulsincepeoplepickthemupoutofhabit.
Several states, Virginia and Texas included, have
Pennsylvania 3,500 n/a
printed beautiful bookmarks, and Arizona has a chil-
SouthCarolina 7,000 n/a dren's bookmark contest that receives hundreds of
entrieseachyear. Louisiana reports thatlarge numbers
Wyoming 4,000 $2500 ofbrochures from its state division of archeology and
Archaeological Conservancy have been distributed.
moststates, postershavebeenproducedasajointeffort
bymany ofthe organizations involved. The Events
The events in an archeology week can be just about
For several years, Arizona has conducted a poster
anything, depending on the state's resources and the
contest involving adults andchildren. Tliismethod has ambitionoflocalgroups. Manyarcheologyweekshave
its pros and cons. It will generate publicity, certainly,
Table 2 StateArcheologyWeekDataTable
AK AZ AR CA CO ID IL LA MD MA MS
YearFirstHeld '90 '83 '91 '91 '90 '88 '91 '88 '93 '92 '93
Organizer
Committee • • • •
SHPO • •
State archeologist • • •
Avocational society •
Federal agency • •
Other
AdvertisementMethods
Proclamation • • • • •
Calendar • • • • • • • •
Poster • • • • • • •
Press releases • • • • • •
Bookmarks
Other • • •
Sponsors
NPS • • • • • •
BLM • • • •
Forest Service • • • • • •
Other Federal agency • • • •
State archeologist office • • • •
Museum • • • •
SHPO • • •
University •
Avocational society • • • • • • •
State highways •
State parks • •
Private business • • •
Professional archeologists • • • • • • •
Table 2 StateArcheologyWeekDataTable
MT NE NM NC PA SC SD TX UT VA WY
YearFirstHeld '91 '91 '88 '87 '91 '92 '89 '89 '88 '90 '92
Organizer
Committee • • • •
SHPO
State archeologist • • • •
Avocational society
Federal agency •
Other • •
AdvertisementMethods
Proclamation
Calendar • • • • • •
Poster • • • • • • •
Press releases • • • • • •
Bookmarks •
Other •
Sponsors
NPS • • • •
BLM • • • •
Forest Service • • • • • •
Other Federal agency • • • • •
State archeologist office • • • •
Museum • • • •
SHPO • • • • •
University • • • • • •
Avocational society • • • • • • • •
State highways •
State parks • • •
Private business • •
Professional archeologists • • • • • • •
Louisiana Strategies
Nancy Hawkinsoffersaseriesofstrategiesthat have
workedwell in Louisiana:
• Lectures relate to research in the immediate
geographic area;
• Lecturers bring artifacts foraudience members
to see, or include slides;
• Lectures begin no later than 7 p.m. and last
less than an hour;
• Lecturers explain terminology and orient the
audience in time and space;
• Artifact identification is conducted in mral ar-
eas;
• Artifact identification leads to follow-up visits
by regional archeologists; and
• Artifact identification is conducted in conjunc-
tion with other events (Hawkins 1991:13)
a common theme. The theme can change fromyearto for 380 people, and twice that number called to make
year. For example, Virginia's 1993 archeology week reservations.
coincided with Thomas Jefferson's 250th birthday so
the two celebrationswere combined in programs that Tours of open archeological sites are another idea.
appealed to a wide range ofpeople. These tours provide a chance to graphically demon-
strate what is lost when a site is destroyed or looted.
While lectures may be the most common activity of Some states also use tours to teach how to recognize
archeology weeks, they tend to attract only those an archeological site andexplainwhynewsitesshould
already interested in archeology. The events that are be reported. In Louisiana's 1991 program, an active
the most popularamongnewcomerstoarcheologyare excavation was one ofthe most popular events, seen
those that involve hands-on activities. They are often by 2,700 people.
the best attended events ofan archeologyweek.
Since local interest is a watchword, including native
Several states have had success with artifact identifica- cultures is alsoimportant. Demonstrationsandlectures
tion events where people bring in potsherds and by NativeAmericans havebeen awell attended part of
projectile points. InArkansassuch aneventwasadver- several states' programs. Forexample, California had a
tised at a university. Other states set up a table at the number of programs featuring Native American bas-
state fair or after lectures. Needless to say, the promo- ketry and other ethnographic topics.
tion for such a program should be phrased so as not
to encourage looting. Children oftenareexcitedabout archeology, oratleast
dinosaurs, and usually share new infonnation with
Demonstrations of toolmaking and other types of ex- adults.Severalstateshave hadspecificeventsdesigned
perimental archeology have proved popular. for children, including Idaho's poster contest aimed at
Flintknapping demonstrations have been extremely schools. Poster and essay contests are two ways of
successful in many states. Tours of historic areas and involving children and Virginia has found another:
places of interest to archeologists are important. In mailing copies of a book on Native Americans to
Idaho one ofthe most popular events has been a tour elementary and middle schools toget them excited for
via boat to the archeological site. The tour had room upcoming events. However, many states have had the
most success with a hands-on approach: traveling
exhibits with mock excavations and fake artifacts. The goal of all archeology week events is to make
Children are fascinated by the physical ^"peers of people aware of archeological issues. Several states
archeology. Programs forchildrenwillbroadenpartici- havegonetogreatlengthstoachievethisgoal.Accord-
pation simply because people are always looking for ing to their organizers, the more novel the event, the
—
activities to enjoywith their kids. more likely people will remember it and become
more involved in preserving the past. New Mexico, for
Distributing brochures at programs is another way to example, has sponsoreda murdermysteryweekendat
increase archeological awareness. For example, if a a historic hotel. It seems that participants listened so
program's goal is to convince people to report archeo- closely for clues that they learned a great deal about
logical sites, provide a brochure which lists phone the people who had lived in the area (Sebastian and
numbers and reporting procedures. Cushman 1992: 52).
An idea which has gone over well for Arizona is die
archeology fair or open house. According to Teresa Response
Hoffman, "the conceptistoholdthe fairatasitewhich
Overall, response to archeologyweeks has been over-
isundergoingexcavationsothatthereareopportunities whelmingly positive. The attendance figures in many
to explainbyexample what archaeologists do, to offer
stateshaveincreaseddramaticallyovertime.Stateswith
interpretations ofresources, and to provide opportuni-
well-established programs have impressive attendance
ties for direct involvement." Several thousand people
attend the "Visitors' Dig," one of the main attractions figures, although none is quite as astounding as Ari-
zona, where more than 122,000 people participated in
of the archeology fair, which allows attendees of all
ages to work alongside archeologists and learn first- 1991 (seeTable 3).
hand about excavation techniques and archeology.
Table 3 Attendance
Alaska 50,000
Arizona 122,473
Arkansas 3,000
Idaho 1,200
Illinois 17,000
Louisiana 13,670
Massachusetts >3,000
OUR Mississippi >300
SAVE PAST
FOR THE FUTURE Nebraska >1,000
Pennsylvania 5,000
COLORADO ARCHAEOLOGY
PRESERVATION WEEK MARCH 11-17, 1990 SouthCarolina >5,000
SouthDakota 3,000
Virginia >7,000
Wyoming 3-5,000
The Future ofArcheologyWeeks archeology weeks has been
their connection with specific
localities, cultures, and history.
Archeology weeks cannot be As more and more states be- Federal agencies have been in-
considered anything but ex- come involved, therehavebeen volved only through regional or
tremely successful. They have proposals for regional coopera- local offices. Additionally, indi-
reached hundreds ofthousands tion. An archeology week or- vidual state archeology weeks
of people, raised money for ar- ganized by several states allow each state to retain the
cheology, and raised public working in conjunction with flexibilitytodecidewhattypeof
awareness. However, discus- one another might allow for programbestsuitstheindividual
sion of archeology weeks has more diversity, greaterexpendi- needs ofits constituency.
raised many questions about tures, and broader interest. It
possibilities and future direc- also might provide a greater Ondieotherhand, KevinBlack,
tion. numberofpossiblethemesfora a Colorado archeologist, argues
Week. that "In preservation andeduca-
One itemofconsideration isex- tion, the whole is very likely to
pansion. States such as Arizona Some people have asked about be greater than die sum of our
and Virginia have already gone the relationship of archeology parts, and when we begin to
to a month-long format due to weeks to National HistoricPres- speak widi one voice, bodi die
the popularityandlargenumber ervation Week, which is spon- public and archeologistswill be
ofevents. Is a month-long cele- sored by the National Tmst for winners" (1992:12).
bration possible elsewhere? It Historic Preservation. Appar-
may be that only states with an ently no state has taken advan- Archeology weeks are rapidly
abundance of archeologists tage ofarcheology week to join becoming one of the most
have the facilities and organiza- forceswithdieTrust. Discussion popular and successful pro-
tion to produce such a massive ofthis, aswell as the possibility gramsandsuchdebatesasdiese
event. On the other hand, once of a national archeology week, provethatdiese programs show
die framework isestablished for has centered around one major nosigns ofslowingdown in die
an archeology week, maybe point.Willtheremovalofalocal future.
every state could generate die focus dilute archeology weeks?
public interest necessary. One ofthe greatestsuccesses of
Summary The stateswith newprograms are learning rapidlythat
an archeology week provides a chance for archeolo-
There are many benefits from a successful archeology gists and historians to talk about their favorite topics.
week, but chief among diem is public awareness of
archeologists'activitiesandmotivations.Publicsupport As it was stated by Lynne Sebastian and David Cush-
is essential for continuedfundingofarcheology across man ofNew Mexico, veterans ofarcheology weeks, it
the country. Moreover, destruction of archeological is exciting for all diose in the field to see so many
sites through ignorance of archeological methods can people taking time to participate in an archeology
be slowed, ifnothalted, through education and public week "just because diey believe in the importance of
awareness. preserving our heritage." At every event of every
archeologycelebration, itisencouragingtorealizehow
Since the original research for this teclinical briefwas many membersofthe publicdocareaboutarcheology
conducted, die success of existing archeology weeks and are willing to put time and energy into sharing a
had ledseveral othersto begin programsoftheirown. love forthe past (Sebastian and Cusliman 1992:37).
10