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EVERY RUSTY NAIL IS SACRED, EVERY RUSTY NAIL IS GOOD: CONFLICT ARCHAEOLOGY, REMOTE SENSING, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT A NORTHWEST COAST SETTLER FORT

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2019

Mark Axel Tveskov ,
Chelsea Rose ,
Geoffrey Jones  and
David Maki
Mark Axel Tveskov*
Affiliation:
Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520, USA
Chelsea Rose
Affiliation:
Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology, Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520, USA
Geoffrey Jones
Affiliation:
Archaeo-Physics, LLC, 4150 Dight Avenue #110, Minneapolis, MN 55406, USA
David Maki
Affiliation:
Archaeo-Physics, LLC, 4150 Dight Avenue #110, Minneapolis, MN 55406, USA
*
(tveskovm@sou.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

Archaeological investigations at Miners’ Fort, a mid-nineteenth-century settler fort located in the US Northwest, is part of a larger inquiry into conflict archaeology and historical memory of settler colonialism and warfare in the region. Built by gold miners, Miners’ Fort overlooked the Pacific Ocean and was used significantly when the Tututni, Joshua, and Mikonotunne besieged it for a month during the Rogue River War of 1855–1856. Archaeological excavation targeting anomalies discovered through remote sensing revealed several features in context, including an indigenously designed hearth built by one or more Native American women who were wives of some settlers. Public archaeology created an opportunity for community building that included descendants of both settlers and indigenous people of the area. Although excavation is destructive to archaeological deposits, by implementing remote sensing and involving the public in the excavation process, a more accurate historical narrative can emerge, as well as a sense of ownership and inclusion among diverse stakeholders.

Investigaciones arqueológicas en el Fuerte de Mineros (Miners’ Fort), un fuerte del siglo 19, ubicado en el noroeste de norte américa, son parte de una investigación más grande de la arqueología del conflicto y memoria histórica de colonialismo y guerra en la región. Construido por mineros de oro, el Fuerte de Mineros dio vista al Océano Pacifico y fue utilizado intensamente cuando los grupos indígenas Tututni, Joshua, y Mikonotunne lo cercaron por un mes durante la guerra “Rogue River” de 1855–1856. Excavaciones arqueológicas fueron diseñadas para investigar anomalías identificadas por percepción remota, y descubrieron unas estructuras arqueológicas ‘in situ’, incluyendo un fogón de diseño indígena construido por la esposa nativa americana de un colono europeo. La arqueológica publica dio la oportunidad de conectarse con la comunidad, incluyendo con los descendentes de ambos colonos europeos e indígenas. Aunque la excavación es destructiva a los restos arqueológicos, sostenemos que combinar la percepción remota, la excavación, y la arqueología publica puede permitir que emerja una narrativa histórica más matizada y un sentido de propiedad e inclusión entre diversas partes interesadas.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 84 , Issue 1 , January 2019 , pp. 48 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by the Society for American Archaeology 

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