Sensing the Past: Perspectives on Collaborative Archaeology and Ground Penetrating Radar Techniques from Coastal California

Gabriel M Sanchez,Michael A Grone,R Scott Byram,Roberta A Jewett,Valentin Lopez,Alec J Apodaca

doi:10.3390/rs13020285

Gabriel M Sanchez, Michael A Grone + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020285

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Abstract

This paper summarizes over a decade of collaborative eco-archaeological research along the central coast of California involving researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, tribal citizens from the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and California Department of Parks and Recreation archaeologists. Our research employs remote sensing methods to document and assess cultural resources threatened by coastal erosion and geophysical methods to identify archaeological deposits, minimize impacts on sensitive cultural resources, and provide tribal and state collaborators with a suite of data to consider before proceeding with any form of invasive archaeological excavation. Our case study of recent eco-archaeological research developed to define the historical biogeography of threatened and endangered anadromous salmonids demonstrates how remote sensing technologies help identify dense archaeological deposits, remove barriers, and create bridges through equitable and inclusive research practices between archaeologists and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. These experiences have resulted in the incorporation of remote sensing techniques as a central approach of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band when conducting archaeology in their traditional territories.

Highlights

Over a decade ago, Kent Lightfoot [1] advocated for a rethinking of archaeological research designs and demonstrated how equitable, inclusive, and community-based participatory research practices facilitated research with the Kashaya Pomo tribe in northern California while including the perspectives of a diversity of stakeholders, includingRussian citizens, local Sonoma County residents, and other local tribal nations
We demonstrate how advances in archaeological geophysics and their implementation by California archaeologists were a critical component in trust-building between the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and University of California archaeologists
Based on examples from our recent field research and other case studies that span over a decade, we demonstrate that the implementation of archaeological geophysics has become a fundamental approach of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band when conducting archaeological research in their traditional territories

Summary

Introduction

Local Sonoma County residents, and other local tribal nations In his seminal paper, Lightfoot [1] argued for implementing low-impact and “surgical” excavation strategies conceptualized using a medical analogy model, suggesting that researchers fully evaluate surface, near-surface, and subsurface materials via low-impact techniques before implementing invasive subsurface excavations. Researchers establish a systematic grid system to conduct an intensive surface collection of archaeological materials with standardized sampling, recovery, and quantification strategies These data from near-surface deposits are used to create isopleth artifact density maps for each material class encountered, thereby identifying areas where food processing and other activities may have occurred, habitation features, and areas with a high potential to yield dense and diverse subsurface archaeological deposits. Beginning with the least intrusive field methods before proceeding to more invasive techniques, this multistage research approach allows earlier stages of research to inform subsequent stages and provides crucial flexibility for collaborative archaeological projects

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