Summer Intern Program 2024: Archaeology Field School

By Alexii Sigona, Tribal Member and 2024 AMLT Summer Intern Supervisor; Alec Apodaca, AMLT Cultural Resources Program Manager; and including a reflection from Elizabeth Rodriguez, Tribal Member and 2024 Summer Intern

For countless centuries, Summer brings the land, plants, animals, sun’s warmth and dryness for extended periods of time, marking an end of the Spring season. Manzanita and Elderberry are ready to be harvested, oak and hazel are starting to bear tiny fruits, which will grow bigger and bigger over the following months until they are large enough to fall off the trees. Despite the heat, there is much to be thankful for that we have reached another summer together, and one way to honor the change in seasons is to seek opportunities for growth, learning, and adventure.

The theme of this year’s annual Summer Intern Program was cultural heritage stewardship and archaeology. Now, what does Archaeology have to do with our Internship Program and Amah Mutsun Land Trust? Believe it or not, but the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band has been emerging as leaders in the field of archaeology for several years now. Archaeology is the science of studying human cultures and heritage around the world. Archaeologists are therefore similar to investigators examining scenes of evidence left behind from centuries of cultural practices. Archaeology is also another way to relearn cultural practices, such as foodways and landscape management, and most importantly is one of the strongest ways to protect and steward ancestral places.

(Fig 1). Summer Interns and University of Oregon students playing badminton at their campsite at Watsonville Slough Farms.

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (LTSCC) graciously provided a campsite at Watsonville Slough Farms, located on the bluffs above the lower Pajaro River watershed. Campsites that hold such a large crowd and provide amenities (water, bathrooms, electricity, parking) in Mutsun territory are hard to come by, as many park campsites are in high demand. Yet, thanks to the LTSCC the Amah Mutsun Land Trust was able to host their Intern program for the first time a stone's-throw away from the Pajaro River. Our program also ate very well, as Alfred Luna and Ernie Bendana kept the crews fueled with warm breakfast, lunch, and hearty dinners which was quite welcome after long days in the field. Our crews would wind down each evening by going to the beach, playing badminton, throwing atlatl, or lounging by the campfire (Fig. 1). Each Monday, we also had guest lectures from leading scholars involved in Indigenous archaeology and history.

Week One

To kick off the program, the first week was focused on workshops. This included an introduction to the importance of AMLT’s Integrated Cultural Resource Surveys (ICRS), a comprehensive approach to cultural and natural resource assessment developed in partnership with UC Berkeley and other archaeology and ethnobotany experts. For example, ICRS is an ongoing fieldwork method for identifying Tribal cultural resources (ancestral sites, plants, animals, insects, natural resources) at the landscape scale. Our workshops to learn ICRS involved flintknapping, ethnobotany, shellfish identification, and zoo-osteological (animal bone) training. Learning how to recognize these fundamental material types are important before going out into the field so we know what we are looking for. Chairman Lopez also gave us our first fireside lecture, which helped ground our program for what to expect, and how archaeology plays a role in the process of relearning aspects of Indigenous history, such as cultural burning, and stewardship of plants and animals over countless centuries. Following this we spent two days at Elkhorn Slough conducting surveys and measuring Native oysters with AMLT Coastal Program Manager, Jacob Harris and the staff at Elkhorn Slough Reserve (Fig. 2).

(Fig 3). AMLT Summer Interns identifying and measuring species of clam, mussel, deer, elk, sea mammal, and oyster at the site.

Numbers of our Tribe members have participated in archaeological fieldwork since 2006, and is a core part of Amah Mutsun Land Trust’s work. This summer, our goal was to turn “archaeology” on its head, shake it up, and rethink what it means to be an “archaeologist”. For what it's worth, “archaeology” exists in large part because of our Ancestors, and the amazing culture they built and passed down to us today. Our ancestors are not relics of the past, but symbols of their contribution to our society and a reminder of the hard work of the ancestors who were spiritual leaders, scientists, educators, they were mothers and fathers, they danced, raised children, cared for elders, sang, ate, thought, dreamed, studied, harvested, and stewarded their traditional lands for millenia.

In this newsletter, we present a play-by-play of this year’s ambitious Summer Intern Program. We came to call it an “Indigenous Archaeology Field School”, because our activities were structured as a research-based education that involved fieldwork methods, cultural history, and accessing ancestral places. Our program started on July 8th, and ran for 5 weeks ending on August 9th. AMLT had 16 interns, 2 cooks, and two intern supervisors. Our intern cohort were joined by Professor Gabriel Sanchez, AMLT Research Associate and Assistant Professor within the Department of Anthropology at University of Oregon (UO), and a class of 13 undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Oregon.

(Fig 2). AMLT staff, Native Stewards, and Summer Interns monitor oysters at Elkhorn Slough.

At the Elkhorn Slough, we surveyed a very large site that contained thousands of shellfish and other animal remains from ancient food consumption, where our crews practiced identifying and measuring species of clam, mussel, deer, elk, sea mammal, and oyster at the site (Fig. 3).

At the end of the week, we traveled to Carmel Valley to join the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County and Cabrillo College where we helped screen for artifacts at a recorded archaeological site. At this location, our members learned how to use Ground-Penetrating Radar to help them determine the full extent of the village site along the banks of Rana Creek, which would later be employed at San Juan Bautista in Week 3. We also exchanged gifts with the Esselen Tribe and were invited to a nice dinner, where songs were shared and friendships made.

Week Two

Following our first week getting initiated with the rhythm of camp life and archaeology methods, week two scaled up to landscape level surveying of Rocks Ranch Preserve in partnership with LTSCC, located in San Juan Bautista in the Gabilan Mountains (Fig. 4). Using the skills we built up during Week One, our crews were able to locate and document an unrecorded Indigenous site on the property, and re-record another site, which doubled the boundary and added critical information about the site. We recorded over 80 cupules and dozens of bedrock mortars. The cupules are very important. They represent our ancestral “rock art”, called petroglyphs by archaeologists and could be tied to religion. Cultural rock markings, referred to as cupules, may also be related to food and medicinal practices, or other cultural purposes related to cosmology, land, and societal views. These cultural markings on the landscape were very important, as they signify the long-term presence of Mutsun ancestors and a gentle reminder of their persistent worldviews imbued on the landscape. These numerous rock carvings occur across the property. The bedrock mortars represent the families that lived in this area (Fig. 5). We were very excited about this finding and will be working with the landowners to protect these ancestral sites on the property. We finished off our week by visiting Chitactac-Adams Heritage Park in Gilroy, where some seasoned interns and former Native Stewards led our talk about Mutsun culture, and stewardship at the park (Fig. 6).

(Fig 5). The bedrock mortars represent the families that lived in this area.

(Fig 4). Interns surveying Rocks Ranch Preserve in partnership with LTSCC.

(Fig 6). Seasoned interns and former Native Stewards led our talk about Mutsun culture, and stewardship at the park.

Week Three

After a restful weekend, we braved the heat of Gilroy to begin our surveys of Mount Madonna County Park. At this location a bathroom was built on a recorded cultural site. Here we worked to identify the full boundary of the site and hope to work with Santa Clara County Parks to get the bathroom removed and to protect the site from further harmful impacts. Following this we worked on a known cultural site near Little Arthur Creek and on private property. Both ground penetrating radar and integrated cultural resource survey work was applied (Fig. 7). We’re very thankful to the property owner for giving us access to this cultural site and we look forward to continuing our research there. Little Arthur Creek is an amazing watercourse whose headwaters begin in the Santa Cruz mountains and flows eastward toward Uvas Creek at Chitactac, and is home to numerous fish and sedge beds (Fig. 8).

(Fig 7). AMLT Interns, former Native Stewards, and University of Oregon students using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

(Fig 8). Interns hiking through sedge beds at Little Arthur Creek.

Week Four
During this week, our crews transitioned our focus from the interior to Quiroste Tribal territory along the Northern Santa Cruz Coast. During the winter, AMLT recognized that a cultural archaeological site that had previously not been recorded had become exposed after the storms and was actively washing away into a creek (Fig. 9). Since we understood that this site was going to be destroyed by natural causes, we took action to learn as much as possible about this site before it was reclaimed by nature. Our teams placed an excavation grid to facilitate our precise sampling method, where we worked slowly to extract each stratigraphic layer to explore areas of interest, such as earth ovens and other food-related features (Fig. 10). Here, interns learned the significance of attention to detail and sustained focus, to ensure the production of useful site-specific information with contemporary stewardship applications.

(Fig 9). The team visits a previously unrecorded cultural archaeological site in Quiroste Tribal territory along the Northern Santa Cruz Coast.

(Fig 11). AMLT Native Steward Esak Ordonez led a talk on cultural fire for the interns.

(Fig 12). The team conducts TIDES surveys at Davenport Landing.

(Fig 10). Interns and Native Stewards set up an excavation grid in Quiroste Tribal territory along the Northern Santa Cruz Coast.

Week Five

The last week of the Internship Program emphasized cultural activities. We began with a hike and talk on cultural and prescribed fire led by Native Steward, Esak Ordonez at Mount Madonna Retreat Center (Fig. 11). The next day, the team met Jacob Harris again in Davenport to conduct a TIDES survey* and learn about AMLT’s work as a founding partner of the Tribal Marine Stewards Network (Fig. 12). Another highlight during the week was a day dedicated to archery, where interns progressed from fundamental archery activities to practice shooting at more distant and challenging three dimensional targets (Fig. 13). The training was facilitated by Mark Medeiros from Peninsula Open Space Trust and our friends at Pie Ranch hosted our group for the day. Finally, the interns participated in an ethnobotany field walk at Whitehouse Field, to observe the effects of regular prescribed fire and envision landscapes where the reintroduction of cultural fire can sustain biodiverse culturally significant landscapes.

(Fig 13). Interns practice shooting distant and challenging three dimensional targets.

Closing Remarks

In sum, our Indigenous archaeology field school documented four Indigenous sites that were unknown before this Summer, and surveyed an additional six sites. We learned about Ground Penetrating Radar, and how it's a technique to scan the ground and see underneath without having to dig. We learned about the presence of cupules in Mutsun land, and we also learned about excavation techniques that can be used to re-learn about ancestral foodways, bead-making on the coast.

Another outcome of the internship program is the simple but significant act of bringing tribe members together. Many interns traveled great distances to participate in this program. While the majority of interns traveled from the Central Valley region, some came from greater distances including Humboldt County, Las Vegas, Kansas, and Ohio. Camp life involved regular evening fires and other activities where interns bonded with one another outside of scheduled programming. As a supervisor for the program, one of the most fulfilling outcomes was creating and reinvigorating community ties which will outlast the summer programming.

Reflection from Elizabeth Rodriguez, Tribal Member and 2024 Summer Intern

“I’m grateful to AMLT for giving me the space to reconnect to family, our culture, and the land. Through this internship I was able to grow my knowledge about archaeology and see how they used less invasive methods. I was able to learn how to do SSU’s (surface survey units), GPR (ground penetrating radar), excavation, flotation, and mapping. It was exciting to have hands-on experience in identifying mussels, fire affected rocks, chert, Olivella shells, etc. I'm thankful to see in person the importance of tribal led archaeology and partnership shown through AMLT and University of Oregon.”

*About the Tribal Intertidal Digital Ecological Surveys (TIDES) Project

An example of the types of projects all Tribes in the Tribal Marine Stewards Network are doing is Tribal Intertidal Digital Ecological Surveys. This survey is conducted by suspending high resolution cameras above the rocky intertidal habitat at low tide. These cameras capture thousands of images of study sites; the photos are then stitched together using structure from motion software to create 3D habitat maps. This survey is conducted bi-annually to create a long term monitoring database that captures seasonal variation in community composition. This data allows us to determine how short and long term changes in sea level may influence the community composition and patterns of zonation in the rocky intertidal. AMLT was trained on this survey work in July and we’ll begin conducting these surveys in 2024. Our Ocean and Coastal Stewardship program has many innovative programs that we are excited to share in future newsletters.

AMLT is grateful to all of our supporters for making the AMLT Internship possible, and especially the Parks CA Career Pathways grant program.