A Good Day - by Emily B.

Emily B. and Melinda B. screening at the Dana Adobe

Today was a good day. It started with a delicious bowl of frosted flakes and a cup of hot coffee. Everyone was just getting up, so I just hung out and enjoyed the morning. I've lived in San Luis Obispo County all of my life, and I have only spent one weekend in Lopes Lake before this trip. It's pretty amazing how beautiful it is here. Only a few miles away and I feel like I'm in another world. We piled in the car and drove to the Dana Adobe. I never knew it existed before this trip, which is sad because there is so much history in it. I loved reading all of the articles for this week because they are all about my home town. My team worked with Gilbert, Christina and Sarah (all from Albion Environmental) today, which was super fun and intimidating! I never thought I would be interested in historical archaeolgoy but after today I would consider it in the future. We worked with a 2 x 2 meter unit and a 1 x 1 meter control unit. At first it was frustrating because we could not stake our nails in and had to back-stake all of the corners, but after uncovering a possible stone barn foundation, it made sense. Everyone was super supportive, communicative and patient which really helped take the pressure off. Overall, this experience has been life changing!

Public Outreach at the Dana Adobe and Our One Hit Wonder Hip Hop Career by Melinda B.

Melinda B. excavating at the Dana Adobe

My favorite day of field school was Wednesday the 23rd of July. I knew from the start that we were going to be doing an outreach presentation that evening, but there was so much more in store that I had no inkling of! I started the day in the field lab, doing a general sort of material that we had excavated. Mid-morning, the group of us that had been assigned to present the historic excavation that evening were pulled from our tasks and asked to clean up the units as much as possible, sweeping away as much of the dirt that had gotten back into the cracks between the rocks. This was both for the event that evening and for the continued use of the historic excavation as an interpretive tool for the Dana.

When lunch rolled around and the crew chief that was in charge of the historic excavation, Gilbert, went walking off into the distance, I asked why – and when the response was that he was going to go look at a cut bank to see if it was the source of any of the building materials that we had uncovered, of course I tagged along. The three units that were excavated in the historic section of the site had uncovered an incredible floor composed of a variety of building materials, including some possible decomposing granite and large rock cobbles. Many of the crew chiefs had commented on how interesting this was, both because the landscape we were in was extremely sandy, making large cobbles rare, and because no one had seen anything like the possible decomposing granite before. When Gilbert and I got to the spot we were aiming for, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the rocks there did indeed match the possible granite that had been found in the excavation. One of the things that I enjoy most about archaeology is the inherent interdisciplinary aspects of it. In this case, having a basic concept of geology was very applicable.

The public outreach event that evening was focused on sharing what the field school had done, as well as giving people a general idea of archaeology, how the archaeology firms work with academic programs, and how we all work with the Native American community. Representatives from the Dana, the local Native American people, and Albion Environmental all spoke about their roles and interactions with the field school students, many of whom stressed the benefits of collaborative efforts such as this. Next on stage was Dusty, our fearless leader. He explained the Cabrillo field school, and then handed it over to us students! Groups explained all of the different steps and processes of our excavation, including methods, lab work, prehistoric excavation, and historic excavation. Everyone did a fantastic job with their presentations, and all the attendees were interested and enthusiastic.

Melinda and her group's presentation

After the outreach event, it was my team’s turn to lead the group discussion. However, Gilbert convinced Dusty that we should be given the opportunity to do a rap instead – and Dusty agreed to a 2 minute rap and 2 minute interpretive dance. Marcy started us off with a dramatic mike drop, I threw in a verse or two, Kaitlin had some sweet rhymes and even threw a citation in there, Dayan is hands down the next Slim Shady, and Nate was completely on point – brought the whole thing home. We proceeded to interpretive dance the different phases of archaeology, including survey, digging, screening, and some sweet impromptu moves. It was an excellent and fantastic way to end the evening – or as the beginning to a great night, for those who night hiked to the lake – but that’s not my story to tell.

Happy digging! -Melinda

A Look into an Archaeologist's Detailed Daily Journal - Dayan

Archaeologist Dayan

06:10  Day begins slightly later than usual, failure to rise at first light makes coffee and bagel consumption hurried. Morning preparations are still completed with adequate times prior to briefing.

07:20  Briefed on the days activities, teams assignments remain the same as day two of excavation commences. We are informed of the loss of one crew member over the night, this serves as a sobering reminder of the transient nature of life, and the need to adapt quickly to changes of circumstance & fortune in the field. One team must continue handicapped through the day’s excavation, though the situation may be rectified through changes of personal over the rest of the week.

07:40  We depart to site, still no success at leaving during the scheduled departure time (07:30) but this is an improvement from the previous mornings.

08:20  Arrival at site. Weather conditions appear satisfactory, although the cool temperature and lack of sun is probably only a brief respite from the tiringly hot weather we have become accustomed too.  

09:40  Weather persists. It provides a comfortable working environment, although the fog banks cast an ominous feeling across the site.

10:00  Work continues in the same fashion as the day before, nothing of note though the rigor of this sort of slow progressing digging takes a greater toll on my mental energy than significantly longer days of survey ever managed too.

10:16  Nate was deprived of coffee during the morning preparations, after an exchange is negotiated between Fernando and Nate to relieve caffeine withdrawals a lively discussion occurs over the merits of different leaves, and their respective preparations to produce the best tea. The origin of Arnold Palmer’s celebrity is questioned.

10:30   While creating context records we go over again the use of Munsell colour charts.

10:42  Team adjacent to ours discovers a single horseshoe, as well as a cow bone of presumably historic origin. This seems to possibly confirm records indicating site being a barn/animal storage facility. This said, the lack of documents mentioning the barn subsequent to 1870 makes me uneasy.

10:54  Although discerning the separation of contexts within our unit is a difficult task, we begin to prepare specific buckets for excavated soil; 001-Rock , 002-Sand , 003-Overburden , 004-Granite(or DC[Decomposing Granite]) respectively.

11:06  I loathe the word ‘problematic’ more than any other in the English language.

Dayan excavating a historic feature

11:28  Bucket separation proves to be troublesome, but we progress fast through the control unit and then into the rest of our 2x2m quad. I ponder the use of quad when the overall measured area is not square or divided into four sections. There is a high chance missing something obvious, but the terminology will continue to irritate me until it is made clear.

11:46  Dark weather continues.

11:52  Four bulbous, glowing, reptilian eggs are recovered from North West corner of Barn/Feature 1 area. Eggs are quickly collected and taken off site into one of the many unmarked sheds located on the Dana Adobe property. Inquiry regarding the eggs is quickly diverted, and I feel it is best to stop asking questions. I wonder if ulterior motives for the site’s excavation exist, although it is tempting to investigate the storage shed perhaps some doors are best left unopened.

12:14  Work is paused for lunch break.

12:22  During lunch break I hear mention of a peculiar putty circulating the other teams. Though the origin of this particular putty is undetermined, it has apparently been known to prevent the many manias which can afflict those exposed to sun for an extended period when smeared. Aside from practical uses of sun protection, the putty gained infamy when employed by the brujeria-practitioner guerillas of the Shining Path, who apparently gained a sickening blue glow and unrivaled power after application in the final days of sieging Lima, or so I am told.

13:00  Work resumes, it remains not very physically taxing but mentally much more difficult than survey work. Still it feels like I’m getting alright at this much quicker than I would have expected prior to field school.

13:58  My energy and will to continue has returned. I am reminded and inspired by Helmkamp “He who walks alone always walks uphill, but beneath his feet are the broken bones of flawed men.” 

14:24  We are given a brief overview of Harris matrices by Gilbert. I notice the first name of this Harris character changes between group he instructs, which makes me wonder what the man’s real name was. It is great to have geological(or perhaps he did something else? I’m not sure) protocol named after you, but I could easily mistake this Harris for the one of line fame. His matrices make sense though, and even with horror stories of giant matrices I think I could complete them with relative ease, or so I hope.

14:47  The skies fill with birds of ill omen,

-- remaining log entries damaged and unreadable -- 

My First Day of Excavation - authored by Emily B.

Emily and Melinda Screening

Today I woke up around 5 am to get ready for our second week of field school.  I gathered my things, ate my breakfast, and left around 7:45 am.  Driving to Dana Adobe in Nipomo, California I thought about the skills I had learned the week before, hoping the things I remembered would help me this week.  I was excited to see familiar faces when I drove up to the Dana Adobe around 8:45 am.  Everyone seemed pretty excited for the coming week and the excavation portion of field school, I was very nervous.  We started by setting up tables and chairs in the front, or East side of the house.  The volunteers surprised us with donuts, coffee, and hot chocolate, which was awesome!  During our orientation we learned about the cultural diversity of the site.  We learned that the Dana Adobe is both Prehistoric and Historic, which means different processes and procedures.  Research questions for the prehistoric period sites include: How has landscape changed culturally and naturally? What are the connections between the Clovis point and paleocoastal evidence?  The historical period research questions include: What is the identity of a rancho?  Who were they and what did they do here?  What was the cultural and natural landscape change?  We also discussed previous findings on the Dana Adobe property and future projects for the historic site.  These future projects will be community based and educational for visitors about both the Adobes past and the Chumash who inhabited the area.

A Message from Crew Chief Kaely

Kaely (center) teaching field school students
Cambria (left) and Kristin (right)

I was a student of the Cabrillo College Field school in 2008, and was invited (…err…maybe elbowed my way in) to be a TA for the following three field seasons. Now that I am a few weeks removed from the island time I have been asked left and right, “How was the field school?!” One word comes to mind – open. Open landscapes, open minds, open hearts. It never ceases to amaze me how curious and intelligent the students are. Their questions in the field to their lectures every night reiterated their passion for archaeology. They were constantly open to learn new concepts and theories as well as adapting to new environments and survey tactics. And it wasn’t easy. Nothing about the field school was “unrealistic” to real CRM work…well, maybe except for some of the jaw-dropping archaeology at every corner. Many times during survey I would forget that this was a crew of students, and not my work colleagues. They rose to the expectation that they were on a real archaeological survey, because they were. They never turned it off. They would stay up late with us and listen to shared field stories or talk politics of the current state of CRM. That doesn’t go away. I think the students learned rather quickly how a hard, hot, steep work day paired with a dip in the ocean and a family dinner can become addicting. That is something the hearts of all archaeologists share, and when you catch the fever- you’re in. I was able to meet up with the students again while passing through Nipomo. These were definitely not students any more- these were dirty, tired, smelly, happy archaeologists. Their maturity for the nature of the job had grown along with their vocabulary for excavation procedures- profiles, column samples, deposits, artifacts, ecofacts. I am excited to work with each and every one of them in the future, so we can tell our old stories as well. These students remind me what it is to follow something you love and that we are all in a constant state of learning. Thank you Cabrillo College Field School 2014.

Working hard!

My Field School Experience, brought to you by Mary Ellis

Archaeology, for those of you who were unaware, is
the study of human cultures from the material remains of the past. It is divided into two categories, Historic and Prehistoric. There is a fair amount of joking and rivalry associated, as can only be expected. We all study trash. This week's lesson was on the art of excavation. This excavation was a mitigation effort required by law, so that construction can commence. Excavation disrupts the Archaeological record and creates a greater need for curation, yet it is one of the only ways to access the data. This excavation was an integrated process involving survey, excavation units, dry screens, wet screens, column samples, auger samples, floatation, sorting, and cataloging. Teams of people are required to work in concert for all of this, thus interaction and communication are at the apex of this stone parabola. The sites chosen for excavation had been surveyed previously and selected by the principal. The prehistoric control units in locus one started with one by one meter control units that dug down to sterile soil, lamellae. These units were dug using arbitrary ten centimeter levels. These units were broadened to be two by one units.


The units dug in locus 2 were one by one units, dug through sterile soil, as deep as osha allows. The soil from all unit levels were dry-screened and then wet-screened by level. The cultural remains sorted counted and weighed by level and unit. There were of flakes; debitage and shatter abounded. Monterey Chert dominated the assemblage. Column samples of twenty-five by twenty-five centimeters were dug in both loci of the prehistoric units, this was sifted through smaller mesh in order to help quantify the relationship between mesh size and type of recovered artifacts and ecofacts. This information will be collected and analyzed. As far as I can see (which isn't much past my nose), our field school's intention is to teach Archaeological thought and to integrate a new generation of Archaeologists into the culture of Archaeology. I write this from the comfort of a seat indoors, on a laptop computer. Our fearless leader does an excellent job of feeding us all in the field. Pothunters and looters are almost always a problem to archaeological research. If you find something exciting, leave it be, mark it in your map, and notify the nearest archaeological society or staff archaeologist of its existence and location.

A Herculean Challenge & Zen by Rachel R.

Today was only a half-day in the field, but we managed to get quite a lot done. I got to dig my first prehistoric level control unit. We saw a couple chert flakes while excavating today, but won't know more until the dirt is screened and sorted in the lab. The soil here is all very sandy, and keeping perfect side walls on a 1x1 meter unit is a Herculean challenge. I had worked on a historic unit earlier in the week and it was interesting to learn the different procedures between prehistoric and historic excavation. For example, historic unit levels are excavated by context/soil changes, and prehistoric units are done by 10cm increments.

This means that the floors of prehistoric levels need to be completely flat, and historic levels can be all kinds of crazy shapes. Most of the morning I was in the lab sorting. I love lab work, and getting into a zen-like zone while sorting makes the hours fly by. It is incredible to me how many things can be in a shovel of dirt: teeny-tiny fragments of shell, the smallest chert flakes I've ever seen, a rainbow of glass pieces, and lots of pretty rocks that are of no archaeological value. All in all, this week has been an incredible experience. The folks at the Dana Adobe have been extremely hospitable and wonderful to work with, and the Albion crew have all been fantastic teachers. Camping at Lake Lopez has also been wonderful, and there is nothing quite like getting to talk archaeology under the stars at night.

A Tree Lover's Take on Archaeologists

 

Resident tree hugger, Travis H.

I was excited to hear that 25 archaeologists were going to stay with me at the Santa Rosa Island Field Station for a week. I had been working on the Torrey pines for a week with only two other people to have conversations with.  So I was ready  for some new friends.The group was full of energy and there was not a quiet moment in the research station, literally not one. The students would take turns cooking delicious dinners for the group; and every night at least two people would offer me a plate of food. Dinner was composed of the most satisfying food after a taxing day of field work with a company of people that you won’t find anywhere else. After dinner there were interesting discussions about anthropology and selected readings. I had no background in anything related to this field but the group was patient enough to explain many of the topics they were sharing.

Watching these dirty and smelly students come in from a long hot day in the field testified to the amount of work they had done. Many of them just sat down their packs and began finishing their maps without cleaning up or taking a breather. These researchers were dedicated and focused on completing the task they were given, despite the sun burns, blisters, aches and pains.

By listening to individuals share stories of a site they discovered, it became evident that this is what they are most passionate about. I saw other people’s faces light up and smiles emerge as someone described an object they uncovered that day. I never thought I would become intrigued by buried rocks and shells! As the week progressed, a desire to learn more about the people who inhabited this wonderful island began to kindle inside of me.

Nights at the station were wild. These people would come even more alive after a long day of work. People are running up and down hallways, going on hikes to the beach, cracking jokes to each other and writing funny messages on the white board. These people were nonstop. They ate loads and loads of food, and yet were able to clean up the kitchen as though they never were near it.

Even though the backup generator went out on their first full day and the water level in the well was at a record low, this group of students and instructors were easy going and positive. Showers were few and far between (too few for specific people), and power outages throughout the evenings did not hinder this group from getting their work done while having a great time. 

This group of strangers came into my “house”, ate my food, and caused a power black-out. But now, many of them have become my friends. I would gladly let them stay with me in my real home, cook food for them, and sit with a head lamp in the dark sharing stories.

I am blessed to have been able to break bread at the same table with them.

Editor's note: Travis H. is a research Station Assistant on Santa Rosa Island. He is also an Environmental Science major at CSU Channel Islands. Travis and his team have counted 24,900 Torrey Pines, although I'm still not sure why. Before the Cabrillo College Archaeology field school descended on SRI, Travis was quietly residing on the island. I don't think it's a coincidence that he departed the island before our crew did. We thank him very much for his hospitality his help (and Cause H.'s help) in keeping the field station running for the duration of our stay.

A New Understanding of an Arch Site - by Violet N.

On July 4^th our survey crew re-located a site. They site was recorded as being a possible rock shelter with an unrelated shell midden and a portable mortar fragment. The record included a sketch map that was not oriented in any logical direction. The location description was difficult to follow and three drainages were searched before finding the site. We had already stopped directly searching for the site when we came across a lithic scatter. Our crew chief walked down the side of the hill and found the shell midden and possible rock shelter. Actually finding the site was anticlimactic, for the rock shelter was just a small cave in a rock outcrop. We decided to wait to record the site until the next day when we would have more time.

On July 5^th our crew returned to the site to update the previous record. We began surveying the site looking for artifacts and the boundary of the midden. We quickly realized that the midden was much larger than the initial site map indicated. The site occupies the side on a ridge at roughly a 45 degree slope. A drainage runs down the site creating a ditch. We marked the site and began mapping the outer boundaries. Pacing became difficult due to the steep slope, loose soil, and dense brush. The new boundaries, including the upper lithic scatter, ran 100 meters along the north/south transect and 55 meters along the east/west transect. After our sketch map was complete, our crew chief began mapping the boundary points with GPS unit. While doing this she saw the cutbank of the drainage that had been flagged for the exposed midden.

Up to this point, the midden had been on the surface and mainly small broken shell with much soil mixed in. The bottom of the cutbank exposed densely packed abalone shell with very little sol. The soil above the 30 cm of shell was incredible dense soil, the result of a landside. Above the landslide soil was the shell midden material that covered the surface of the site. This abalone pavement indicates a previous occupation of the site. Similar abalone middens usually date to the middle Holocene, several thousand years before present. Until further research is done, little more can be said definitively about the age of the abalone pavement.

Today’s survey and rerecording of the site has completely changed the nature of the site. The previous record understated the scope of the site and the resources present. The new record indicates a much longer occupation, and a more dynamic settlement pattern. The preservation and management of resources is dependent upon a full knowledge of what resources are actually present. Without this survey, the site was likely to be dismissed and overlooked. Now, the site can be handled in the appropriate, respected manner.

A Great Day of Survey - by Fernando

I should have worn that sunscreen… Those were the first thoughts that entered my head waking up. The echoes from the sun’s rays rippled through my arms, face, and neck, reminding me of the previous days exploits. The sounds of the early morning shuffle littered the hallway and made their way past my door and into my ears. It was 6:50 am. After getting dressed and putting my pack together, I made my way to the kitchen where about half the field school crew were eating, reading, cleaning, and doing all manner of things people do in the morning. My breakfast consisted of a half toasted bagel smothered in cream cheese and topped with salami. It was delicious. I stood and watched the wind blow through the trees behind the station from the kitchen window as I packed my lunch and steeped my tea. It was going to be a good day. I sat down on the hammock outside the kitchen door to get the info for the day and drink my tea. Hammocks are among my favorite things in the world, right next to ice cream and back rubs. With our teams sorted and survey areas divvied, we were ready to set out for the road.

Pack on my back and a lightness in my step, a smile formed on my face as I walked out the fence into the rest of the day. As we trekked down the road, Dusty spotted an island fox in the brush ahead of us, its ears poking out from behind a shrub, giving it away. As more of the group came up behind us, the fox trotted out from behind the bush and into a clearing. No bigger than a house cat, but 1000 times more adorable, the fox sat and watched us as we watched it, its ears winking in the early morning dew, it drew a collective “awwwwww” from everyone in the group, including myself. When everyone had their fill of the ridiculously photogenic fox, we started back on our way to our survey area. 

The path included, but was not limited to, a steep, rocky incline and a road crossing several gradients. Almost immediately after reaching our first transect spacing, we came across a handful of lithic artifacts, which were primarily flakes. Initially, while conducting our transects, we only found the occasional isolated artifact and not much else, however, before reaching the end of our boundary, we stumbled across a lithic scatter that included several flakes consisting of multiple materials, including mudstone, quartz, local chalcedony, and meta-volcanic rocks, and a few scattered shells. After we mapped the area but before we began our next transect, Chris and Terry came bounding over a ridge towards our lines. They joined us for the remainder of the survey and dropped some knowledge on us in regards to identifying materials. About 5 minutes into our next transect, Terry found an immaculate biface, and not half an hour later, the site was littered with colored pin-flags. We found a pestle, a dart, flaked tools, and a core, among debris that numbered at about 80+. When the day ended and we began our descent back to the station, I had learned how to conduct a survey, map a site, create a record of the site, and how to identify and classify different types of artifacts and assemblages. We then celebrated the signing of the declaration of independence with burgers, beer, cake, and music. It was a great day.

Rising - by Kate R.L.

Rise. That is what has been going through my mind since I left orientation on the 6^th of June. Today I learned that I can; I learned that I did. Today I rose far above any expectation I could have had for myself, for what life can be, and for the tribe we became today, together, on this most lovely day on Santa Rosa Island. We came yesterday from different lives and different backgrounds, early in the morning, to embark on an educational journey. Tonight, we are a tribe, a group of people who are working together to survive and to work toward some thing better.

           

We started the day preparing for something that, at least myself could only try to imagine. A trip to an archaeological site started off a day that would become the most amazing experience of my life. There we learned about several things including, why we do cultural resources management (CRM) and how it can be used to protect important past record, rock types common (and not so common) to the local area, and even a short lesson on the use of gypsum datura amongst the local population for spiritual purposes.

Next we visited another archaeological site and together worked to improve the record kept about that site. After lunch and a short discussion, we visited a pygmy mammoth, and from there embarked on a brisk walk that included several more sites, the torrey pine forest, and a brief overview of  the area we will be surveying during our remaining time on the island.

This is the most strenuous hike on which I have ever been. It tested my strength, stamina, mental, and spiritual fortuity. It did that for most of us, if not all, so far as I can tell. But we rose. We rose above everything and we stood on top of the world together. Every single one of us is better for this day. From those of us who have been doing this for years to those of us who are just starting out, we conquered something today, and we became a community.

Now, as I sit here writing this blog with a smile on my face and in my heart that just won’t stop, smelling the delicious dinner my tribe is preparing to nurture our hungry bodies; I am more proud of myself than I have ever been and I am flying. I am so grateful for these wonderful souls who have come with me on this journey of self discovery and high demand of academic learning. We have all risen so high we can fly. Education of the mind and one’s self are the wings that can take you anywhere you wish.

But alas, farewell, I must go be with my most wonderful tribe and community, break bread and be merry.

First Day of Field School - by Nick G.

So today we met at the Ventura harbor around 7 am. As it turned out most of the boxes of food and supplies we had did not meet the maximum weight requirement of 45 lbs, many of them were between 60-113 lbs. We loaded the boat and left the harbor around 8ish. The boat ride was like any standard boat ride, smooth sailing with a few bumps, but nothing serious. On the way to Santa Cruz Island, to drop off some hikers and campers, we ran into a large pod of common dolphins. I have seen pods of dolphins, but dang was that a lot of dolphins. We hung out in the pod for around 10 minutes or so watching them come and play by the boat.

After stopping at Santa Cruz Island, we ran into a small pod of bottle nose dolphins, that were jumping completely out of the water and playing in the boats wake. First time I have ever seen dolphins full on clear the waters surface. While boating on by Santa Cruz island we passed a small rock formation jutting out of the water and Dusty informed us that, Jon Erlandson explored a cave and found a first of its kind: a swordfish sword. Someone literally took a swordfish bill carved and sharpened it, put a handle on it and used it as a sword. Another passenger who was not with the field school had snapped a picture of a flying fish while it was still in the air.

Once we arrived on the island we were going to be working and staying on, we found out that we could only have 4 tents, so no students could have tents but the crew chiefs were allowed to. Since we only had an afternoon, we just learned basic compass skills, and how to create a field map of an archaeological site without modern technology. It was quite a challenge but it wasn’t as hard as I had thought. We had first learned how far our pace was by walking 200 meters and divide it by the amount of steps we took to complete it, mine was .77 meters per step. After learning basic field tech skills, we went across a gorge and checked out a shell bead midden, and some various shell middens.

We also had a talk about ethics and proper etiquette when dealing with archaeological sites. We learned that it can be disrespectful to take photographs of remains without the expressed consent of the tribe. We also looked at olivella shell beads and the micro drills used to make them.

So far the field school has been pretty dang fun. It is an awesome experience, hiking through waist high brush traversing cutbacks down an incredibly steep hillside. It is a lot of hard work, but makes getting back into the lodge much more rewarding knowing that you hiked up a mountain only to come down it off-trail.