An Alumni's Path from Field School to Full-Time Archaeologist

Hello! I’m DJ Kraai, a previous Fort St. Joseph (FSJ) field school student and Western Michigan University graduate. I’ve enjoyed following the FSJ project over the past few years and wanted to write back to share my experience becoming a full-fledged archaeologist.

I graduated in April 2017 and took a full time job in employment services. After a few short months I grew tired of the daily office grind and dreamt of being in the field once again. With the help of Dr. Michael Nassaney, Erika Hartley, and Tim Bober I updated resume and began searching for employment as an archaeologist.

In the spring of 2018 I received an internship in New Mexico on a Pueblo I,II,III (750 - 1300 A.D.) site excavation. I revealed a stone masonry roomblock adjacent to a Great Kiva and earned the right to excavate within the kiva itself, a task not normally given to the interns. Thankfully I had learned excellent excavation technique during my time with the FSJ field school and my accurate note taking, clear drawings, and linear walls were quickly recognized. My internship ended as Fall 2018 began.

I briefly returned to Michigan before accepting a temporary archaeological field technician position on a 30,000 acre pedestrian survey project throughout Northern and Western Arizona. My significant other still held employment in Michigan and we didn’t want to pay for two homes so I pulled the front seat out of my Subaru Forester, hammered together some plywood, and inserted a makeshift bed. For the next 3 months I lived out of my car and slept on public Forest Service land, which is not entirely uncommon for field techs to do. Many archaeology projects are in remote areas so camping on-site for 8 day periods is a common practice. Since I was already camping for work I just extended my off-road living into my 6 day breaks between sessions.

I returned to Michigan once the winter was in full swing and we were unable to continue surveying due to snow (who knew it snowed in Arizona!). My partner and I packed up, hopped in the car, and I made my final three-day drive to the Southwest (I had driven between Michigan and New Mexico/Arizona three times and flown twice by now) to set up our new home in Phoenix, Arizona. I chose Phoenix due to the incredible amount of archaeology employment opportunities in the area. Archaeology is largely driven by the oil, natural gas, and forestry industries due to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which dictates that any time an undertaking is located on federal property or receives federal monies the client must assess if there will be an adverse effect on historic properties. This often requires an archaeological assessment to be done of the affected area.

Once located in Phoenix I immediately found myself inundated with temporary job offers. There are many Cultural Resource Management (CRM) firms throughout the United States. Each of these firms bid on projects that require archaeological survey or data recovery work to be done. Since the firms’ employment needs vary with the projects they recieve it is normal for archaeological field technicians to be hired on a temporary basis and then jump between multiple companies throughout the year as projects begin and end.

For the next few months I did just that. I had phenomenal experiences getting to work throughout the Southwest’s many environments and saw an unbelievable amount of archaeology. As my experience and network grew I took a shot at a full-time archaeologist position and received the position. While I’ll still spend most of my time in the field I now have the opportunity to continue projects into the office phase to complete reports and further my competencies.

Thank you all for reading my story! I hope it shed some light on the journey between field school student and archaeologist.

Dirt and Soil, What's the Difference?

Hello Fort Friends! My name is Moline, and I’m one of the students working and studying here at the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project.

Today I thought we could talk about soil!  There are different kinds of soil, and they all can give very important clues to archaeologists when performing excavations.  The first kind of soil that we’re going to talk about is alluvium.  In simple terms, alluvium is basically soil that has been deposited by a river.  Alluvium is typically very fertile, therefore it’s good for growing things.  Archaeologists make distinctions between “cultural” soil and “sterile” soil.  Cultural soil is soil that contains artifacts, ecofacts, and features (the trifecta of archaeological material), which is indicative of human activity (hence, it can be called “cultural”).  Sterile soil is just the opposite.  Sterile soil (also called the B horizon) does not contain any artifacts, ecofacts, or features, and therefore tends to not yield much in terms of archaeological excavations (hence “sterile,” since it is free of cultural remains).

Now let’s talk about zones.  There’s the plow zone and the occupation zone. The plow zone is basically the area of soil that has been disturbed by agricultural activities like farming and plowing.  The occupation zone is the area of soil that leaves cultural remains in situ from the time of habitation. 

Now that we have some basic working definitions, we can start talking about how all of those concepts relate to our work at Fort St. Joseph.  We are doing some exciting things at the site, and that includes excavating in a dump located on the premises!  Because the soil has been so disturbed, and because so much modern refuse is in the areas where we are placing our units, we are facing some unique challenges.  Firstly, there is the issue of distinguishing between modern refuse and 18^th century artifacts (which would be from the time we are most interested in as it relates to Fort St. Joseph).  Secondly, we are having some issues distinguishing between different kinds of soil (i.e., Is this soil from the plow zone? Maybe it’s from the occupation zone?).  At my unit, for example, we are seeing a lot of mottling, which basically means that there is a mixture of different soils.  This many times gives the soil a marbled appearance, and as Dr. Nassaney says, looks a lot like the hide of a giraffe.  Because of the trench digging that has occurred, and the farming that occurred on the land before that, it can be difficult to determine if an artifact is actually in situ or not.  Typically, we see alluvium on top, then plow zone, and then occupation zone, then the B-horizon.  Because of the site being located in a garbage dump that used to be farmland, however, there have been too many disturbances to the soil layers to have a really accurate interpretation of what exactly is going on.

What does all of this mean for our units? It basically means that we are going to have to work a bit harder in interpreting our data, but that’s part of the fun of archaeology, isn’t it?

Hopefully that gives everyone a bit of a clearer understanding of the different kinds of soil and the ways that archaeologists use that soil to study the past!  Thanks again for following the Fort’s activities and for reading!

Best,
Moline

Comments on Conservation and Curation

Hey there fort followers! This is Cece reporting from the stables. I’m going into my fourth year at Western Michigan University but this is only my second year as an anthropology major. I bounced around a little bit, from art to nutrition, until I took an anthropology course and realized how rewarding the subject could be. The opportunities to learn from humans and physically touch pieces of our own history are profound and exciting. The lecture we all attended tonight, “Conservation and Collections Management” by Kelly Rectenwald, touched on the importance of caring for and properly displaying what we find throughout our excavating and learning.

A Fort St. Joseph Archaeological School alum, Ms. Rectenwald has not one but two degrees in curation, emphasizing the articulate care that must go into preserving our past. She discussed her most recent project, an installation at the Museum of Modern Art centered on the Nabatean people. They occupied what is now present day Jordan during second century C.E. as merchant-traders. They are well known for their rock cut tombs and temples, the latter being what Kelly helped to curate over a two year period.

The process of curation requires a background in chemistry so that the ancient materials may be conserved properly. This might involve taking x-rays and CT scans, so the elements present can be quantified and carefully documented in order to provide the utmost care for the given artifact. Ms. Rectenwald was in charge of installing a Nabatean stone temple facade that had been excavated in 1939 by a Cinncinati native and later requested by the Museum of Modern Art for their 2019 installation, “World of Empires”. The facade weighed a total of 4,641 pounds and had gone through multiple transformations, the original mortar being chiseled and re-constructed five times. Ms. Recetenwald explained her process of looking at old photographs from the original site in Jordan to distinguish where original stones had been removed or modified in order to come up with the most accurate final product. The weight of the artifact was too great for the floor of the MOMA to bear, so the stones of the temple as well as the arch were carefully mounted upon steel shelves that took up to half an hour to drill holes into. For the first time in 15 years, Ms. Rectenwald had succesfully installed this Nabatean temple that stood over ten feet tall.

This lecture shined a light on the incredible amount of work that goes into displaying parts of our history so that the general public can gain a unique understanding of our shared past. Rectenwald remarked on an old coin bag that had been carefully mounted so that the chain was hanging just so it looked like someone might have had it hanging off of their arm; a subtle choice that allows us to relate to and ask questions about those who came before us. Along with a diligent code of ethics, the process of an experienced conservator ensures high standards for the interpretation, display, preservation and staging of objects from our past.

Thank you to Kelly Rectenwald for all that you do and for an inspring lecture on what happens behind the scenes at our favorite museums and history centers. And thank you to the Fort Followers for your continued support! We’ll see you at the next lecture: “Preserving the Past at Fort Michilimackinack” on Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm.

The 2019 Historic Walking Tour: History Lives Again

My name is Alexander Nikolai Bacik, and I am a current student and intern here at the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological dig in Niles, Michigan. I am 25 years old, and am finishing my senior year as a Public History major at Western Michigan University in nearby Kalamazoo. Two days ago, we got to experience the Niles Historic Walking Tour, which hasn’t been done since the 1990’s! As a tour guide myself, as well as a reenactor (I am a Union Civil War Drummer with a Fife and Drum Corp.), I really could appreciate if not learn from what I thought was truly a fun and unique learning experience, as it was not a typical historic tour, in that it was conducted outside and was truly done for the public (it will surely inspire me for future ideas of my own, as I hope to lead tours one day). This is very important, as academic history is needed and has its place; it is public history and its historians that go out and truly bring the history of the people to the common man in an understandable and interesting way, as that is the goal of public history.

The tour started out at the Niles Amphitheater near the North Bridge, and continued its way by the river front, with our tour guide, Mollie Watson, explaining the various histories and fun facts along the way. This included such topics as river traffic and industry, the Michigan Central Railroad and its impact on the river trade and the State, as well as the various businesses that used to line the river front, with the French Paper Mill being the only survivor left standing. It is the only company in the United States to survive in the same family for over 150 years. The next part of the tour, which was led by our own miss Erika Hartley, started out at the Dam and continued down the dirt road to the Cross of Father Alloway, and finally to the commemorative rock, which was appropriately decorated with the “four” flags (being that of France, England, Spain, and of course, America). As a religious and spiritual individual, I could really appreciate him, as his memorial attested not only to his missionary zeal, but also to his kindness to God’s Children. During the tour, Erika talked about of course the Native Americans (the Potawatomi tribe was one of them), the French and their missionaries, the Fur Trade and its impact, the Fort and its role in the New World, and so on. Finally, the guests were led through the nature trail that us students cut out early in our program, and finally made it to the dig site. Some of the students explained to eager ears about the excavation, particularly their findings, as well as the terminology that is used and what they mean. All of this put together means so much in the long scope of things, in that everyday people can feel that they too are part of this story, as well as see their home in a new appreciation and light with the use of history. The provided illustrations, as well as being outdoors, also helped put what once was into an understandable reality. That is why public history is so great. Tours like this can bring people together and give them a healthy sense of pride about their history and where they come from as a community.

This is why the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project has lasted so long, in that it has, and continues to foster support from the community in showing them the beneficial outcomes of archaeology. Showing the public the actual dig site is very important to the interest of the project, as people get to see where our efforts as students go, as well as where one’s donations are applied. For many people outside of the history world, it can be hard to comprehend what goes on and why one should care, especially if one grew up with history being present in a very dry and boring way. History, like archaeology, is meant to be alive, with museums, tour guides, and reenactors helping in bringing that history alive, so that people may hopefully walk away with a better understanding of the past and theirs, as well as learning from the good and the bad. As the saying goes, you “cannot move forward unless you learn from the past…”

Smudging Ceremony

Bozho, thayek! – Hello, everyone!  My name is Matthew Bussler and I am the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.  I have worked for the Pokagon Band for just under 6 years. My professional background is primarily in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), starting as the GIS Specialist for the Band in 2013.  I was hired as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer approximately 7 months ago.  Soon after I was hired as THPO, I became involved with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee of Niles, MI.  At these meetings, I met Dr. Michael Nassaney who kindly requested me to participate in the Fort St. Joseph Field School as well as hold a smudging ceremony for the commencement of the dig.

I appreciated Dr. Nassaney’s inclusion of the Pokagon Band for this effort, for it is highly sensitive in nature.  The area of interest for the archaeological digs are upon the banks of the St. Joseph River or in Bodéwadmimwen (Potawatomi Language) is called Senathwen zibé or river with rocky current.  This area is very significant to the Potawatomi.  The St. Joseph River has always been a primary resource for the indigenous people of this area.  Some traditional Native Americans believe that this area is the place of origin where the original man, or Neshnabé, rose from the water.  Therefore, a smudging ceremony to honor The Creator, Mother Earth and all she contains was appropriate and necessary.

Smudging ceremonies are meant to cleanse, balance and maintain positivity - emotionally, spiritually and physically.  The four sacred medicines that we as the Pokagon Potawatomi typically utilize are Tobacco, Sage, Cedar and Sweetgrass.  All four medicines can be placed in a shell or a clay bowl to be ignited.  The teachings that I received stated that the smoke that rises from the smudge acts as a conduit of communication between Kchémnado, the creator, and the individual who is praying.  Your prayers become one with the smoke and rise to Kchémnado.  Tobacco, or Séma, is the most commonly used medicine to offer to the Creator when we pray.  Sage, or Wabshkyabgêk, is utilized to cleanse unbalanced energy.  Sweet Grass, or Wishkbëmishkos, is most commonly used for smudging – being utilized to clear one’s mind of negativity.  Lastly, Cedar, or Gishki, is placed in buildings for protection as well as brewed into tea to drink for good health.  Cedar Oil is also harvested to be applied topically to your hair, skin and clothing to protect your body from negativity and the contraction of ailments.  The smudging ceremony that was held for the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological field work was specifically to thank Mother Earth and the Creator for allowing us to disturb the ground to obtain knowledge of what once existed, that can then be passed on to future generations.

Community Inside and Out

Today is day 9 of living in Niles and working at Fort St Joseph. Here I talk about how familiar my peers and I have become with the community and the archaeological project. By the end of the field season, I'm sure Niles and the site will feel like a second home!