The three articles analyze the role which material things played in the history and social-cultural lives of communities in the industrialization era. According to Fowles and Heupel, the world is filled with an accumulation of material things as humans feel the absence of things they need and continue to invent more (2013). Concurrently, as…[Read more]

Severin Fowles and Kaet Heupel The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Contemporary World Edited by Paul Graves-Brown and Rodney Harrison

I found this weeks’ readings to have a philosophical aspect to them. They were non-traditional and questioned what it means to have physical evidence in a very material reliant field that is a…[Read more]

Reflection # 15

We wrap up our semester long reflections with readings from alternative urban landscapes. Compare and contrast these articles and reflect on what they may imply of archaeology going forward.

The first article by Matthew Brunwasser discusses his efforts to preserve the history of and show what life was like at the Olompali…[Read more]

Matthew Brunwasser’s Digging the Age of Aquarius discusses the future of archaeology when researching and observing contemporary objects that could be considered artifacts in the future, but are considered as trash by today’s standards. Severin Fowles and Kaet Heupel’s The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Contemporary World discu…[Read more]

Before our meeting with Mrs. Essie Gregory last week I was unsure of what to expect of what a United Order of Tents member would be like. I thought whoever we would be meeting would be much less open about their experience inside the organization. This was based on what I have learned about the organization, being a more secretive and exclusive…[Read more]

Nice thoughts everyone. Just note that the organization is The United Order of Tents, not the League and her name is Mrs. Essie Gregory.

Reflections #14

In lieu of readings this week, we will be meeting in the library in room 283 to continue our work on our projects-(bring your laptops since this room is NOT a multi-media room).  With that, please use this reflection time to share your thoughts on the interview process, experience and information gathering with one of the United…[Read more]

The Union Order of Tents is an organization run by African American women that were active during the underground railroad. Their focus is to preserve their mission of protecting African American women, and protecting the resources of their mission. Many of the members working in the NYC district are elderly however, and are having difficulty…[Read more]

Blessing Tate
United Order of the Tents Reflection
Week 14

United Order of the Tents
After much research, one would assume that an organization that began with the underground railroad custom of providing “tents” for those that escaped enslavement would encounter preservation issues. Preservation of assets, customs, and their mission. As a m…[Read more]

Nice reflections everyone-don’t forget to read them all, and to try and submit prior to class.

Graffiti and Racial Insults: The Archaeology of Ethnic Relations in Hawaii by C. Fred Blake

In this article Blake explores the graffiti in Hawaii while focusing on the ethnic/ racial aspect of the graffiti. He categorizes graffiti into 3 attributes. The first being materials and techniques used to convey the message (if there is a message), the…[Read more]

The readings for today reminded me about the significance of art in our society, past and present. We humans have a rich history of art, ranging from cave paintings, to Da Vinci’s masterful sculptures, to graffiti. Art represents cultural meaning to an artist. Just like a book can be interpreted in multiple ways, so can graffiti. Literature, after…[Read more]

Each article from this week gives us an understanding of how graffiti can provide us with cultural information in certain areas when viewed through an archaeological lens. When reading this week I couldn’t help but to think about my encounters with graffiti growing up in my neighborhood or in school, on the train, etc. When thinking about graffiti…[Read more]