LONG ISLAND, WA
PHOTO BY FELIX HALL
PHOTO BY FELIX HALL
PHOTOS BY ANNA ANTONIOU
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LIVING OFF THE BAY: PAST AND PRESENTReviving traditional foodways through archaeological research on the Washington coast.
In the U.S., indigenous communities often suffer poor health at far greater rates than non-native populations. This is due, in part, to the prevalence of food insecurity and diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type-2 diabetes within these communities. To remedy these health disparities, many indigenous communities are working towards establishing food sovereignty, reviving traditional foodways and regaining their rights to local food sources. In partnership with the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe (SBIT) and Chinook Indian Nation (CIN), my research explores collaborative and applied methods of archaeological research in the context of theses community-set agendas. This research investigates the food refuse of a protohistoric village site to produce an archaeological understanding of prehistoric diet and translate that understanding into a series of community-enriching public goods: a traveling museum exhibit, K-12 education tool kit, and adult nutrition course curriculum. This work demonstrates that prehistoric and contact-era Chinook and Lower Chehalis people depended upon numerous local marine resources and establishes a historical precedent pertinent to the SBIT’s negotiations for legal rights to culturally relevant food sources. Through this research, members of the SBIT and CIN hope to better understand how their ancestors used shellfish and other marine resources so that they may sustainably utilize these resources again today. |
CIRCUMNAVIGATING CYPRUSA 400-mile journey towards understanding cultural segregation on a Mediterranean island.
On July 20th, 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus in response to a coup staged by Greek Cypriot nationalists. By August of that same year, the Turkish military had captured 40% of the island. To this day, the island remains geographically, politically, and ethnically segregated. In contrast to the political reality of separation, this project set out to generate a holistic picture of the country’s landscapes, cultures, and peoples in hopes of facilitating greater understanding and cohesion. We sought to get past the state-sponsored rhetoric of division and talk to real people, living their real lives, to see if there was more uniting this island than dividing it. What we found was anything but separation. North and South, rural and urban, Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot, everyone met us with open arms. Each with their unique story and perspective, but each saying the same thing… each person saying “WE ARE THE SAME.” |
PHOTOS BY VASILI SOTIROPULOS & ANNA ANTONIOU
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PHOTOS BY LYLE NAKONECHNY & ANNA ANTONIOU
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PREHISTORIC SHELLFISH HARVESTING ON LONG ISLAND, WAStudying Chinookan Subsistence and Social Organization
From 2014 through 2016, I worked with the Chinook Indian Nation, Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to locate, document, and analyze archaeological sites pertaining to Chinookan subsistence practices on Long Island, WA. This project is a concerted effort to extract information about Chinookan prehistory from rapidly eroding coastal sites that will soon be lost. Field methods include kayak, pedestrian, and combination probe-auger survey. |
UNDOCUMENTED MIGRATION PROJECTBased at UCLA, the Undocumented Migration Project (UMP) is a long-term anthropological study of undocumented migration between Mexico and the United States that uses ethnography, archaeology, and forensic science to better understand this clandestine social process.
In 2013, I joined the UMP team to manage the forensic study investigating the taphonomic processes that impact the remains of undocumented border crossers in the Sonoran desert. I also led daily pedestrian surveys and instructed students on proper documentation of field sites. |
PHOTOS BY UMP TEAM
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