Topic: Pleito Virtual Reality Project

Speakers: Colin Rambo and Curtis Alcantar

Colin Rambo and Curtis Alcantar are both professional archaeologists who started working for Stantec, San Diego in 2023. Curtis is an enrolled member of the Tejon Indian Tribe and Colin was the Tribe’s founding THPO from 2014 – 2023. During that time, Colin championed the “Pleito Cave Virtual Reality Project” in collaboration with the Wildlands Conservancy and the University of Central Lancashire, UK (UCLAN), with Principal Investigators Drs. David Robison and Brendan Cassidy, with Photogrammetry led by Devlin Gandy. The Pleito VR Project took many years to plan and develop, with the bulk of the work being conducted by UCLAN’s Archaeological Field School that traveled from the UK to Kern County, CA on an annual basis. Colin and Curtis will discuss the Pleito VR Project and then invite the audience to take their own “virtual tours” of Pleito Cave (CA-KER-77) on the two META Quest VR rigs they will provide.

 Colin is an applied anthropologist with more than 14 years of professional and academic experience in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Archaeology across Central and Southern California. He was previously the CRM/Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the Tejon Indian Tribe, where he was delegated by the Tribal Chairperson the responsibility of representing the Tribal Government in all tribal consultations concerning Tribal Cultural Resources (TCRs) associated with the Tribe’s ancestral territory, which comprises the entirety of modern Kern County, CA. Colin has vocationally trained dozens of tribal monitors at Tejon and other California Tribes. This including the 20 full-time tribal monitors he supervised at Tejon during the many hundreds of archaeological survey/excavation and construction monitoring projects that supported some of our nation’s largest infrastructure projects (e.g., California High-Speed Rail Project, Edwards Air Force Base Solar Project, Interstate Oil & Gas Pipeline Projects, and Interstate Federal Transit Projects). Currently, Colin is focused on digitizing archaeological methods to include the use of various technologies that enhance/streamline the archaeological workflow and make possible the development of “digital assets/deliverables” – such as GIS Story Maps and Photogrammetric 3D Models facilitating immersive Virtual and Augmented Reality experiences – to promote public education and environmental stewardship by highlighting the cultural resources associated with our projects.

Curtis Alcantar is an archaeologist and enrolled member of the Tejon Indian Tribe. He graduated in 2024 from CSU Bakersfield with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Anthropolgy/Archaeology. Curtis was an AISES intern with Bonneville Power Adminstration. More recently, he has worked for Dudek, ASM, and Stantec as an archaeologist.

Join SDCAS for a walking tour of the historic Gaslamp District with the Gaslamp foundation for 11/9 at 10:00 am. The tour begins at the Gaslamp Foundation Museum, 410 Island Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101. It will be open to 20 people and cost $ 12 per person. You can bring money on the day of the trip.

Please RSVP by 11/6: https://forms.gle/9jjy6pirMT3sqyyE6

Send any questions to info@sdcas.org.

Speakers: Karen Lacy and Sandra Pentney

Sandra Pentney and Karen Lacy have been collaborating on the SDCAS Halloween Presentation since 2015, when they presented their research on the origins of vampire, werewolf, and zombie myths. This year’s topic is werewolves!

Sandra has over 20 years of experience as an archaeologist. Her education includes a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from Lakehead University and a Master's degree in Archaeology from the University of Saskatchewan. Her work experience spans all regions of the western US and Canada. She currently works as an archaeologist here in San Diego. Her love of monsters and horror has resulted in her spending endless hours researching the anthropology of monsters and is thrilled to have found a venue through which to share her love of finding the origins of monster myths across cultures.

Karen Lacy has over 20 years of museum experience as well as a Master’s degree in Museum Science, a second Master's in Anthropology, and a Bachelor’s in History with minors in Art History and Anthropology. Karen co-founded Muse Curatorial Consulting Group in 2017, a company that specializes in collections care, training, grant writing, and exhibit development of archaeological, historic, library and archive materials. Along with her consulting work, Karen is also a professor of Anthropology teaching at San Diego City College, San Diego Miramar College, and MiraCosta College. Since she was a child she has been drawn to myths and legends on monsters and supernatural creatures leading her to a love of history, anthropology, and as well as a curator of Monsters! exhibit in her adult life.

The San Diego County Archaeological Society (SDCAS)'s celebration of California Archaeology Month and International Archaeology Day is held on the 3rd Saturday in October as part of our annual Arch in the Park event. Our goal is to educate the public about archaeology, and to provide information on various career and volunteer opportunities with local archaeological companies, museums, universities, and organizations. Typically, more than 30 vendors take part in Arch in the Park. Arch in the Park is ideal for students and budding archaeologists to network, as well as family fun. This year’s event will be October 19, 2024!

Speaker: Tori Randall

Information pertaining to human biology, nutrition, and paleopathology can be gained from the study of human bones.  Paleopathology is the study of ancient diseases and trauma which leave evidence in skeletal remains.  Human skeletal remains can record stress reaction to a variety of biological insults, and therefore, the skeleton can display information about an individual’s life history.  Skeletal indicators of non-specific stress, dental disease, interpersonal violence, osteoarthritis, and behavioral markers can be observed, and this information contributes to our knowledge of the past by illuminating the general health and behavior of the population.

Tori Randall is a skeletal biologist and paleopathologist who studies the reconstruction of past lifeways of modern human populations. She obtained her BA in Anthropology from the University of San Diego, her MA in Anthropology from San Diego State University, and her PhD in Biological Anthropology from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. She is a professor of Anthropology at San Diego City College. 

Title: Cattle and Colonialism - Using animal bones to study emergent regional ranching cultures in colonial Sonora

Speaker: Nicole Mathwich, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, San Diego State University

In North America, the introduction of livestock as part of the Columbian Exchange had profound social and ecological consequences for cultural environments, yet the landscape impacts of these animals have been difficult to identify, particularly in the first decades of sustained contact. Oftentimes, these narratives minimize the agency and labor of native peoples in favor of Euroamericans. Between 1687 and 1822, at Spanish colonial missions in northern Sonora, Mexico, and southern Arizona, O'odham groups and Spanish missionaries generated land management practices that wove together the needs of domesticated animals and existing Indigenous farming practices. These patterns from Sonora would become the source for livestock and colonists later in Alta California. This talk examines emergent, shared animal husbandry practices across the colonial Pimeria Alta in both the archaeological and historical record. Faunal, isotopic, and historical analyses from several missions provide evidence that cattle herds were used primarily for meat and grease extractive strategies compared to other domesticated species at the site and that indigenous water storage practices were a key part of herd management. These findings provide strong evidence for the adaptation to and depth of animal husbandry practices among Indigenous groups in the Southwest.

Nicole is an assistant professor in Anthropology at San Diego State University. In her teaching and research, she seeks to cross and weave borders together, whether between humans and animals, U.S. and Mexico, or archaeology and history. Nicole explores the connection between economy and ecology in Southwestern U.S. and noroeste of Mexico with a suite of tools, including zooarchaeology, social networks, stable isotopes, oral histories, and historical documents.

The SDCAS has the opportunity for a docent-led tour of the Cups to Connections tour at the Mingei International Museum on June 1st. The exhibit displays various drinking vessels from countries around the world and the traditions of sharing a drink. The exhibit was put on in conjunction with the House of Pacific Relations, also known as the international houses in Balboa Park, where on Saturday and Sundays, people can go to sample authentic foods and beverages from around the world. Cups to Connections | Mingei International Museum

The tour is open to the first 29 people to sign up and begins at 11:00 am and goes till 12:00 pm. We'll gather at the Alcazar Garden prior to the tour beginning. https://maps.app.goo.gl/DW2KbdRyXMzvMgZZ6 

It costs 10 dollars plus fees per individual, which grants guests all day access to the museum and a chance to view the other exhibits.

People can choose to pay online through the Ticket Tailor link below or bring 10 dollars to the event organizer, Tim Wolfe, prior to the beginning of the tour. 

To sign up or if you have any questions, please e-mail Tim Wolfe at twolfe.arch@gmail.com

Title: Cyber-Archaeology and Sustainability

Speaker: Dr. Neil Smith

Dr. Smith’s research over the past fifteen years has been in computational cultural heritage and archaeology with a special emphasis in creating immersive collaborative digital environments. Prior to his current position as Co-director of the Center for Cyber-archaeology and Sustainability, he was a Research Scientist at the Visual Computing Center in KAUST. He played a critical role in developing novel software and hardware applications for archaeology and cultural heritage. Dr. Smith’s research interests focus on the merging of computational science with a variety of domain driven research topics including disciplines such as archaeology, cultural heritage, digital humanities, geophysics, marine science, and urban reconstruction. Current research has focused on novel computer vision solutions that incorporate geographic information systems, scientific visualization, informatics, and simulation. Dr. Smith has co-founded a KSA based company called FalconViz, which provides solutions from aerial scanning to digital twin immersive visualizations for the MENA region using drones. Currently, he is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and director of the USA branch of FalconViz. Since 2014, FalconViz has been involved in the scanning of all three UNESCO cultural heritage sites (Madain Saleh, Ad-diriya, and Al Balad Jeddah) and their visualization in VR. Most recent work has involved creating sustainable solution for cultural heritage using technologies developed in Cyber-archaeology.

Begole Archaeological Research Center Tour (Optional Mine Wash Site Tour) 4/14

On April 14th, the San Diego County Archaeological Society has the opportunity to take a tour of the Begole Archaeological Research Center. It is an opportunity to get a behind the scenes tour of the collections for Anza-Borrego Desert, Cuyamaca Rancho, Palomar Mountain State Parks, and Picacho State Recreation Area. The tour will be led by California State Park archaeologist, Hayley Elsken. The tour is approximately 45 minutes and will begin at 10:00 am. The Begole Archaeological Research Center is located at 200 Palm Canyon Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004. There is also parking available at the Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center, but costs $10 to park, and is a five-minute walk to the research center.

After the tour of the research center, there will be an optional tour led by Hayley to the Mine Wash Site. The site is located approximately 20 minutes from the Begole Archaeological Research Center. Please be advised to reach the site that it would require driving off road and would need a high-clearance 4x4 or All Wheel Drive vehicle.

The tour is limited to 20 individuals. Please e-mail Tim Wolfe at info@sdcas.org if you would like to sign up for the tour of the research center, and please let them know if you would be interested in the secondary tour and if you have a vehicle capable of reaching the site. If not we’ll try to arrange carpooling to the site from the research center.

Title: Drones Transforming Archaeological Mapping: Case Studies and Application on Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Speakers: Kris Reinicke and Alberto Foglia

In this study, archaeologists Kris Reinicke and Alberto Foglia introduce the innovative use of drones for archaeological mapping, building upon historical precedents and technological advancements. Through case studies and practical demonstrations, they showcase the potential of drones in capturing high-resolution imagery of archaeological sites. Case studies at sites like Truckhaven Intaglio, Mason Valley, and Kane Springs demonstrate the efficacy of drone mapping in archaeological research. The importance of thoughtful planning, equipment selection, and adherence to regulatory requirements is emphasized for successful drone missions. Through meticulous image processing techniques and photogrammetry software, the researchers demonstrate the creation of detailed 3D models and orthoimagery, facilitating enhanced site documentation and analysis. Despite encountering challenges such as weather conditions and regulatory complexities, the integration of drones offers unprecedented opportunities for efficient and cost-effective archaeological mapping and preservation efforts. This study contributes to advancing the field of archaeology by harnessing the potential of drones as indispensable tools in site documentation and cultural heritage conservation.

Kris Reinicke (she/her) serves as a Senior Environmental Specialist within the Cultural Resources Team at San Diego Gas & Electric, bringing over 12 years of expertise in archaeology and GIS specialization within the environmental compliance and information technology sectors. Holding a Master of Science (MS) degree in Geographic Information Science from California State University, Long Beach, Kris showcased her proficiency in UAV imagery application in archaeology through her thesis project focused on ground truthing aerial imagery from Easter Island. Prior to her MS, Kris pursued graduate studies in Archaeology at the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, with her research centered on the Spanish fortifications of Old San Juan. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies - Anthropology from the University of California, San Diego, and further enriched her academic journey through an exchange program at the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo in Morelia, Mexico. Following her undergraduate studies, Kris spent several years teaching English in Mexico before delving back into her passion for cultural preservation. Beyond her professional pursuits, Kris finds joy in travel, hiking alongside her rescue labrador Cooper, and camping adventures with her partner and friends in Laguna Mountain or the desert.

Alberto is an archaeologist and GIS specialist at PanGIS. His graduate studies involved using GIS to assess the surveillance capabilities of the towers built into Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England. His extensive skill set includes ArcGIS Online Web App development, photogrammetry, and 3D modeling. He has been working with PanGIS’ Remote Sensing team, using his skills to enhance the 3D models derived from sUAS (drone) and fixed-wing flights.

Topic: Dating Machine Made Bottles

Speaker: Carol Serr

Her presentation will be on this topic, more specifically on post-1910 machine-made bottles that often have codes that show the year a bottle (or jar) was made. Many archaeologists do not know how to read these codes so end up using glass company date ranges for the bottles they find. It is important to learn how to “read the codes” for more precise dating of refuse collections.

Carol Serr was born in San Diego and grew up in La Mesa/Spring Valley. She majored in Anthropology at SDSU and began working as an archaeologist upon graduating in 1978, cutting her teeth at the extensive village site along the San Diego River (Santee Greens project). Her first historic trash collection was not until 1998, then again in 2000. By 2005, she was part of a bottle research group, specializing in diagnostic embossed markings on post-1900 bottles. Carol served as the 2nd VP for the SDCAS in 2004 and Membership Chair from Oct. 1999 to Feb. 2016.

Topic: Land Acknowledgments and Decolonization

Speaker: Laurie Egan-Hedley

Have “land acknowledgments” and “decolonization” got you confused and frustrated?  Have you been told to craft a land acknowledgement and you need help?  Do you have a land acknowledgement and wonder what to do next?  Is decolonization even possible?  These are important to discuss, but don’t let these become insurmountable hurdles towards meaningful collaboration with Native People.  Laurie Egan-Hedley will walk and talk us through these paradigm shifts and pendulum swings, and how Barona Museum is instrumental in helping others put a pin in these and also move forward with meaningful collaboration.

Laurie Egan-Hedley is the Director/Curator at Barona Cultural Center & Museum on the Barona Band of Mission Indians’ Reservation, a position she has enjoyed for 15 years.  With a Master’s Degree in Anthropology and Museum Studies and over 26 years of museum experience, Laurie is passionate about education, interpretation, voice, representation, and equity.  With strong community-centered beliefs and values, Laurie previously served on the San Diego Museum Council Board of Directors and currently serves on the boards of Western Museums Association and the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce.  Through her work at Barona Museum, Laurie has earned the Institute for Museum and Library Services’ National Medal in 2019, the Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries and Museums’ Guardian of Culture Award in 2020, the Association for State and Local History’s Award of Excellence in 2022, and most recently, the Association for State and Local History’s Award of Excellence and History in Progress award in 2023.  She enjoys teaching and spending time with her family. 

SDCAS will have a field trip to the Barona Cultural Center and Museum on 11/4/2023 at 11:00 am.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/mjQkjNo5gvzj7x2H8

Topic: Haunted Landscapes

Speakers: Karen Lacy and Sandra Pentney

Sandra Pentney and Karen Lacy have been collaborating on the SDCAS Halloween Presentation since 2015, when they presented their research on the origins of vampire, werewolf, and zombie myths. This year’s topic will be Haunted Lanscapes.

Sandra has over 20 years of experience as an archaeologist. Her education includes a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from Lakehead University and a Master's degree in Archaeology from the University of Saskatchewan. Her work experience spans all regions of the western US and Canada. She currently works as an archaeologist here in San Diego. Her love of monsters and horror has resulted in her spending endless hours researching the anthropology of monsters and is thrilled to have found a venue through which to share her love of finding the origins of monster myths across cultures.

Karen Lacy has over 20 years of museum experience as well as a Master’s degree in Museum Science, a second Master's in Anthropology, and a Bachelor’s in History with minors in Art History and Anthropology. Karen co-founded Muse Curatorial Consulting Group in 2017, a company that specializes in collections care, training, grant writing, and exhibit development of archaeological, historic, library and archive materials. Along with her consulting work, Karen is also a professor of Anthropology teaching at San Diego City College, San Diego Miramar College, and MiraCosta College. Since she was a child she has been drawn to myths and legends on monsters and supernatural creatures leading her to a love of history, anthropology, and as well as a curator of Monsters! exhibit in her adult life.

The San Diego County Archaeological Society (SDCAS)'s celebration of California Archaeology Month and International Archaeology Day is held on the 3rd Saturday in October as part of our annual Arch in the Park event. Our goal is to educate the public about archaeology, and to provide information on various career and volunteer opportunities with local archaeological companies, museums, universities, and organizations. Typically, more than 30 vendors take part in Arch in the Park. Arch in the Park is ideal for students and budding archaeologists to network, as well as family fun.

Event Schedule:

• 1000: Event Starts and 50th Gala Slideshow

• 1100: Bird Songs by Ed Mercado

• 1200: Welcoming/Introduction

• 1215: Remembrance and Tribute to Abel Silvas/Running Grunion

• 1300: Art Show Awards

• 1500: Event Ends

• All day                 

  • Raffle Prize drawing (every 30 minutes)

  • Tours of the Adobe Ranch House

  • Tables/Excavations

October is California Archaeology Month and November is Native American Heritage Month. To celebrate, the San Diego County Archaeological Society and California State Parks have collaborated to present an annual archaeology-themed juried art show and contest called “Celebrating the Art in Archaeology.”

Art and archaeology are inextricably linked. Archaeologists often study the artistic creations of past cultures, whether ancient Grecian mosaics or finely crafted stone tools of pre-contact California. Archaeological sites and past peoples have long served as sources of inspiration for artists working in a variety of mediums. There is considerable artistic skill displayed in hand-drawn archaeological mapping and artifact illustration, and field photos can also be well-composed works of art. People engaged in replicative arts recreate clothing, tools, and other objects from the past using traditional materials and techniques. In the Native American community, artists use cultural traditions that are thousands of years old.

The exhibition features five categories of artwork to showcase the various ways that art and archaeology intersect. Works in the Archaeological Line Drawing category are hand-drawn archaeological illustrations, including artifact illustrations, maps and other line drawings used in archaeology. The Photography category encompasses both archaeological field photography and fine art photography with an archaeological theme or subject matter. The Fine Art category includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and multimedia works with an archaeological theme or subject matter. In the Traditional Arts Category, works exhibit the use of traditional materials and/or techniques such as flintknapping, pottery, textile weaving/sewing, basketry, and blacksmithing. The Video category will include short videos with an archaeological or anthropological theme or subject matter-whether informational, instructional, or showing the artistic/ crafting process.

Location information: The show will be held from October 6, 2023 to December 31, 2023 at California State Parks Southern Service Center 2797 Truxtun Road Barracks 26 San Diego, CA 92106. We will have an opening celebration on October 6, 2023 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Topic: The Ancestral Maya Quarryscapes of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize

Speaker: Dr. Jon Spenard

The Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve in western central Belize has long been recognized as a major source of economically important resources for past Maya people including pine wood, slate, and granitic rock, the latter of which was used to make manos and metates, tools found in all Maya homes. Yet, despite the economic importance of the region, it has gone largely ignored in Maya archaeology due to its relatively unique geology that makes intensive farming prohibitive. Common wisdom in the field held that since past Maya people were unable to farm there, they did not live there, and thus the region holds little archaeological potential. The lack of archaeological attention given to the reserve has led to uncertainty about where exactly the resources were being extracted from, how they were extracted, and by who. Such questions guided my research as I initiated my Rio Frio Regional Archaeological Project in the reserve in 2018. To date, that project has revealed the Mountain Pine Ridge is actually a complex and multifaceted archaeological region with a wide variety of past Maya sites including settlement, ritual caves, and quarries. In this talk, I focus on the granitic rock industry found there with a particular emphasis on the Buffalo Hill Quarries, a quarry and workshop site where manos and metates were being produced on a near-industrial scale. The talk also considers the role that the site of Nohoch Batsó, first documented for science by my project in 2019, may have played in the control and exchange of goods made in the quarries.

Jon Spenard is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Cal State San Marcos. He joined the department in 2016 after graduating with his Ph.D. in anthropology from UC Riverside. He also holds an M.A. in Anthropology from Florida State University, and a B.A. in Anthropology from Franklin Pierce University. Dr. Spenard is a landscape archaeologist and has spent much of his academic career investigating ancestral Maya ritual cave sites. In 2018, he initiated the Rio Frio Regional Archaeological Project (RiFRAP) in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Belize, a relatively unstudied region of the Maya Lowlands. The aim of Dr. Spenard's RiFRAP is documenting the various ways past Maya people lived in and interacted with that landscape. Currently, the project has three main research foci, ritual caves, settlement, and granitic rock extraction and ground stone implement manufacture.

The Museum of Us will be giving a tour for SDCAS on the 16th of September at 12:15 PM. The tour will be of the Maya Peoples Exhibit. There is limited availability for this tour, the museum only has 11 spots and the price is $14.95 per person to the museum.

Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/kRgLM4tA23Co5Kch9

Entry deadline is today for the Celebrating the Art in Archaeology Show.

For full details, visit: https://sdcas.org/art-show2023

SDCAS’ 50th Anniversary Gala

Saturday, August 26, 2023

4:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Los Penasquitos Ranch House

We're turning 50 this year! SDCAS is finally historic.

The 2023 SDCAS Board invites you to celebrate and toast our society on 50 years of archaeological advocacy in San Diego County on August 26, 2023, from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The evening’s festivities will include music, appetizers, a sit-down catered dinner, a keynote speaker, and fun, all included with your ticket! The event offers a chance to mingle with colleagues, reminisce about SDCAS’ 50 years, and enjoy a night out at the Los Penasquitos Ranch house. Your ticket comes with one free drink ticket; there will be additional alcohol for purchase by cash or card if you wish. Each attendee will also receive a raffle ticket to enter into our prize basket drawing. 

https://sdcas.org/50th-anniversary-gala

Topic: Negotiating a World in Upheaval: Resiliency of Indigenous Systems of Warfare Among Yuman Groups

Speaker: Joseph B. Curran, Ph.D., R.P.A. 

This study is a deep historic-archaeological investigation on how and why weapon systems (Indigenous, colonial and/or hybrid) are chosen, resisted, modified, used, and/or abandoned. Through archival meta-analysis, I seek to provide ethnohistoric context on how weapons were used in symbolic communication to either reproduce or resist supposed legitimacy in borderlands. I apply this framework to a case study investigating conflicts and negotiations among the Lower Colorado River Basin Indigenous Yuman groups (i.e., Quechan, Mohave, Cocopa, and Maricopa) from 1780 to 1857. Specifically, I examine why these Yuman speakers seemed to prefer fighting on foot with their Indigenous weaponry during regional battles instead of using Spanish and then Anglo-American guns and horses as cavalry. This study seeks to address questions of how Indigenous weapons were made, how were they used, and why they continued to be used until 1857. By exploring the complexities behind why and how the Yuman peoples maintained traditional weapons systems over 300 years, this study will add to the growing literature that complicates the post-contact interactions of Indigenous people with colonial materials and technologies prior to colonial settlement.

Joseph Curran received his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His research operationalizes post-colonial frameworks to early contact studies of conflict systems by exploring the multitude of ways Indigenous peoples adapted, resisted, or redefined colonial technologies and weapons in the Southwest and California.  Curran has published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory and North American Archaeologist. He is a recipient of the California State University Chancellors Doctoral Fellowship and was a 2021 Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies (NCAIS) Graduate Student Fellow.

Topic: Islands Through Time: A Human and Ecological History of California’s Northern Channel Islands

 Speaker: Todd J. Braje

California’s Northern Channel Islands, sometimes called the American Galápagos, are often celebrated as a trip back in time where tourists can view glimpses of California prior to modern development. The islands are sometimes portrayed as frozen moments in history where ecosystems developed in virtual isolation for tens of thousands of years. For at least 13,000 years, however, the Chumash and their ancestors occupied the Northern Channel Islands, leaving behind an archaeological record that is one of the longest and best preserved in the Americas. From ephemeral hunting and gathering camps to densely populated coastal villages and EuroAmerican and Chinese historical sites, archaeologists have studied the Channel Island environments and material culture records for over 100 years. In the process, they have pieced together a fascinating story of initial settlement by small groups of mobile hunter-gatherers to the development of one of the world’s most complex hunter-gatherer societies ever recorded, followed by the devastating effects of European contact and settlement. Likely arriving by boat along a “kelp highway,” Paleocoastal migrants found not four offshore islands, but a single super island, Santarosae, that remained unconnected to the mainland throughout the Pleistocene. For more than 10,000 years, the Chumash and their predecessors survived dramatic changes to their land- and seascapes, climatic fluctuations, and ever-evolving social and cultural developments. Today, the lessons of Channel Islands history can act as a guide for building sustainable strategies. The resilience of the Chumash and Channel Island ecosystems provides a compelling story of hope for a world increasingly threatened by climate change, rising seas, declining biodiversity, and geopolitical instability.

Todd Braje is professor and chair of anthropology at San Diego State University specializing in long-term human-environmental ecodynamics, the archaeology of maritime societies, historical ecological approaches to understanding coastal hunter-gatherer-fishers, and the peopling of the New World. Over the last fifteen years, the majority of his archaeological field research has been conducted on California’s Northern Channel Islands where he investigates the 13,000-year history of human-environmental interactions and the application of archaeological records to modern fisheries management. His diverse research includes fieldwork at some of the oldest sites along the New World Pacific Coast, occupied by Pleistocene maritime voyagers, and 19 th century commercial abalone processing camps, created by Chinese immigrants during the California Gold Rush. Along with over 100 academic journal articles and book chapters, Braje published Islands through Time: A Human and Ecological History of California Channel Islands in 2021 and has an upcoming book with Smithsonian Books, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Human History Can Inform Our Planet’s Future, available in 2024.

Topic: 12,000 Years: The Prehistory of San Diego

Speaker: Cindy Stankowski

San Diego is blessed with abundant natural and cultural resources. Over 40,000 archaeological sites have been discovered in San Diego County. These sites contain the material culture of people who have lived in the region for over 10,000 years. This presentation will reveal what archaeology has uncovered about the ancient peoples who called San Diego home. Archaeology is a wonderful tool for understanding the past and bringing context to the present. Please join us for a presentation on 10,000 years of San Diego history and a new understanding of the past.

Cindy Stankowski’s personal commitment is to continue to have a positive impact in the community by making new ideas and information accessible in the museum setting. Ms. Stankowski received a Bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in Anthropology from San Diego State University and a Master’s degree in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University. She has been with the San Diego Archaeological Center since 1996, leading the effort to preserve our archaeological legacy. Ms. Stankowski also seeks new and innovative ways for the public to connect with the past, including exhibits, seminars and school presentations.

Join us for a tour of the San Diego Archaeological Center on May 20th at 11 AM! This will be a great opportunity to learn more about the curation processes in archaeology. The cost is 10 dollars for non-members, and free for members! Can’t wait to see you all there!

Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy outside before or after the field trip!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/4hfuqKvbrjmNFSzL6

If you are not a member, please bring $10 per person on the day. Members are free.

Location:

San Diego Archaeological Center
16666 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, CA 92027

Topic: The Key Role of Natural History Collections in the Zooarchaeological Research

Tales of the Eider, Little Pocket Mouse and Chendytes lawi

Speaker: Aharon Sasson, PhD

Natural history collections, i.e., skeletal collections, play a pivotal role in the zooarchaeological research. The San Diego Natural History Museum houses the most extensive collection of mammal and bird skeletons in our region. Without such collection, zooarchaeological specimens of the Eider, an artic sea duck, Chendytes lawi, an extinct flightless duck or the Little Pocket Mouse, the smallest North American rodent, could not be identified. The presentation will discuss the identification of these species and their contribution to our understanding of the archaeological sites and the natural history of our region.

For more reading on the identification of the Eider from Spring Valley, CA, please see:

Nat Blog about the Eider from Spring Valley

PCAS Paper: Zooarchaeological_Insights_on_San_Diego_County_Inland_Coast_Relations_An_Arctic_Sea_Duck_and_Fish_from_Spring_Valley_California

Aharon received his Ph.D. in Zooarchaeology from Tel Aviv University. He was a visiting scholar at UCSD and has taught Zooarchaeology at UCSD, SDSU and USD. Aharon has studied faunal assemblages from the ancient Near East as well as from numerous prehistoric and historic sites in California. Aharon is the author of Animal Husbandry in Ancient Israel, A Zooarchaeological Perspective on Livestock Exploitation, Herd Management, and Economic Strategies.

Topic: The Recipes of El Cocinero Español

Speaker: Tracy Johnston

Tracy Johnston is a food history buff.  She has explored and demonstrated historical recipes and cooking techniques from a wide variety of time periods and cultures for over two decades, in both public venues and on her food blog, “Goode Eates” (historicalrecipes.blogspot.com).  It was while reading about California food history that she discovered Encarnación Pinedo’s 1898 book, El cocinero español, and set out to translate it.  In the process, she explored its geographical, historical, and cultural connections. She has since been enjoying trying out Ms. Pinedo’s recipes and sharing them with others.

Visit the SDCAS table at the Bicentennial Celebration which will be held on February 11, 2023. It is organized by San Diego County Parks, of the 1823 land which created Rancho Los Penasquitos, the first Mexican land grant within present-day San Diego County, now part of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve. The first house on that site was a modest adobe built in 1824. The building was expanded in 1862. The historic adobe ranch house as we know it today has been restored by the County to reflect life at the rancho in the 1860s through the 1880s.

The Bicentennial Celebration will take place February 11, 2023, as a free, family-friendly event. Activities planned will focus on historical interpretation and environmental education, and will include ranch house tours, guided hikes, talks, hands on activities, food vendors, and more. Archaeologist Dr. Susan Hector will give a historical talk. Lillian Barnes of San Diego Audubon said Audubon volunteers might be able to lead birding walks.