Conversations about Conferences: SEAC 2017, Tulsa, OK
Every year, I patiently wait through winter, spring and summer for my favorite time of year to arrive: the Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC) Annual Meeting. Okay, maybe it's not my absolute favorite time of year, but it's definitely top 10. This year's SEAC was extra exciting for one big reason: it was in Tulsa, Oklahoma!
Why Oklahoma for a Southeast conference, you may ask. The state is home to 38 federally recognized tribes, many who are the descendants of Native Americans removed from the Southeast. It's also home to Spiro Mound, one of the four biggest Mississippian Period Southeastern sites.
When I got home, I sat down to talk about the conference with Sarah.
Sarah: What did you expect in attending SEAC 2017?
Emily Jane: I thought this year's SEAC would different from year's past - due to the location and setting, the focus on tribal relations, etc. I figured it would also be smaller, due largely to the distance many folks had to travel (spoilers: it wasn't - it was one of the biggest yet!). But I knew I'd still get to learn about amazing research and outreach, catch up with some colleagues and enjoy the usual SEAC activities: reception, dance and business meeting.
S: What did you hope to get out of it?
EJ: I was hoping to learn a little more about native perspectives on archaeology and how we can better work with tribal members. And I was excited to see Oklahoma and visit Sprio Mound! I had recently gone to see Moundville in Alabama and was looking forward to seeing another of the big Mississippian Mound sites. (The other two of the four biggies are Etowah and Cahokia, for those at home wondering, so now I just have to take a drive to Georgia and then hop a plane to Illinois!)
I was also looking forward to meet with the newly form team at the Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network - OKPAN. Loosely based on our model, OKPAN is an organization that works to bring archaeology to the public throughout the Sooner State. I was looking forward to sitting down for a PAN-cake dinner and chatting about our experiences with each program.
S: What did you actually learn?
EJ: I learned that everyone benefits when archaeologists and tribes work together. Okay, I may have already known that but this conference showed me so many great examples of how true it is! I was thrilled to see 120+ tribal members at the conference. And not just the archaeologists who work for the tribes - members who were interested in learning more about archaeology and history. I heard lots of papers with tribal members and archaeologists as coauthors that discussed great examples of collaborative archaeology and outreach.
S: What was the hardest part of attending SEAC?
EJ: I think the hardest part for just about every conference is planning out your schedule. I find the sessions I am interested in often get scheduled at the same time. Add to that trying to find a few moments for yourself while traveling, and it gets a little exhausting!
S: What will you bring back from the conference to share with the public?
EJ: I hope to bring in more contemporary native voices and perspectives into the work we do. It's important for people to know that Native Americans aren't just stories from the past - they have vibrant cultures and traditions that live on today. In fact, I've already tried to do so - I gave a talk this week on the Seminole Wars and I put in a few more slides about the tribes today.
S: What sessions and activities did you take part of?
EJ: I made it to the opening ceremony, which might be the highlight of the conference. Several local tribes (and one from Tallahassee, FL!) came to talk about their dance traditions and to perform and dance with us. As far as conference sessions, I attended a lot of sessions by and about tribal issues as well as two on public archaeology - a general session that featured my paper about our HMS Florida pilot program at the GTM Research Reserve and a 50th anniversary session for the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. One of the founders of the Survey, Hester Davis, gave a lot of insight and help when FPAN was getting started, so our Director Bill Lees was invited to talk about the connections.
S: Do you have plans for next year's conference?
EJ: I do. I'm already thinking about putting together a session on addressing climate change impacts at archaeological sites. A lot of conversations about this issue have happened at some of the bigger conferences - Society of American Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology, etc - but I haven't seen too much at SEAC except in bits and pieces. I'm excited to have those conversations with my colleagues in the southeast.
For more information, check out the Southeastern Archaeological Conference's website or follow them on Twitter.
Photos and text by Emily Jane Murray, FPAN Staff.
Why Oklahoma for a Southeast conference, you may ask. The state is home to 38 federally recognized tribes, many who are the descendants of Native Americans removed from the Southeast. It's also home to Spiro Mound, one of the four biggest Mississippian Period Southeastern sites.
When I got home, I sat down to talk about the conference with Sarah.
Sarah: What did you expect in attending SEAC 2017?
Emily Jane: I thought this year's SEAC would different from year's past - due to the location and setting, the focus on tribal relations, etc. I figured it would also be smaller, due largely to the distance many folks had to travel (spoilers: it wasn't - it was one of the biggest yet!). But I knew I'd still get to learn about amazing research and outreach, catch up with some colleagues and enjoy the usual SEAC activities: reception, dance and business meeting.
S: What did you hope to get out of it?
EJ: I was hoping to learn a little more about native perspectives on archaeology and how we can better work with tribal members. And I was excited to see Oklahoma and visit Sprio Mound! I had recently gone to see Moundville in Alabama and was looking forward to seeing another of the big Mississippian Mound sites. (The other two of the four biggies are Etowah and Cahokia, for those at home wondering, so now I just have to take a drive to Georgia and then hop a plane to Illinois!)
I was also looking forward to meet with the newly form team at the Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network - OKPAN. Loosely based on our model, OKPAN is an organization that works to bring archaeology to the public throughout the Sooner State. I was looking forward to sitting down for a PAN-cake dinner and chatting about our experiences with each program.
S: What did you actually learn?EJ: I learned that everyone benefits when archaeologists and tribes work together. Okay, I may have already known that but this conference showed me so many great examples of how true it is! I was thrilled to see 120+ tribal members at the conference. And not just the archaeologists who work for the tribes - members who were interested in learning more about archaeology and history. I heard lots of papers with tribal members and archaeologists as coauthors that discussed great examples of collaborative archaeology and outreach.
S: What was the hardest part of attending SEAC?
EJ: I think the hardest part for just about every conference is planning out your schedule. I find the sessions I am interested in often get scheduled at the same time. Add to that trying to find a few moments for yourself while traveling, and it gets a little exhausting!
S: What will you bring back from the conference to share with the public?
EJ: I hope to bring in more contemporary native voices and perspectives into the work we do. It's important for people to know that Native Americans aren't just stories from the past - they have vibrant cultures and traditions that live on today. In fact, I've already tried to do so - I gave a talk this week on the Seminole Wars and I put in a few more slides about the tribes today.
S: What sessions and activities did you take part of?EJ: I made it to the opening ceremony, which might be the highlight of the conference. Several local tribes (and one from Tallahassee, FL!) came to talk about their dance traditions and to perform and dance with us. As far as conference sessions, I attended a lot of sessions by and about tribal issues as well as two on public archaeology - a general session that featured my paper about our HMS Florida pilot program at the GTM Research Reserve and a 50th anniversary session for the Arkansas Archaeological Survey. One of the founders of the Survey, Hester Davis, gave a lot of insight and help when FPAN was getting started, so our Director Bill Lees was invited to talk about the connections.
S: Do you have plans for next year's conference?
EJ: I do. I'm already thinking about putting together a session on addressing climate change impacts at archaeological sites. A lot of conversations about this issue have happened at some of the bigger conferences - Society of American Archaeology, Society for Historical Archaeology, etc - but I haven't seen too much at SEAC except in bits and pieces. I'm excited to have those conversations with my colleagues in the southeast.
For more information, check out the Southeastern Archaeological Conference's website or follow them on Twitter.
Photos and text by Emily Jane Murray, FPAN Staff.