Project Archaeology: Outline for Oral History Interviews
The proposed oral history interviews will be conducted and video recorded with the primary intention to supplement the curriculum guides Project Archaeology: Investigating Shelter and Project Archaeology: Food and Land. As such, interview topics and questions will be aligned with the Enduring Understandings and Essential Questions found in the lessons. Examples of some interview questions are as follows:
All people need shelter, but shelters are different from one another. In what kind of shelter did your ancestors live? Why did they build this kind of shelter? What kind of shelter do you live in?
Everyone has a culture and our lives are shaped by culture. What are some things that your ancestors did that you still do today? (examples: tanning hides, gathering medicinal plants, participate in certain ceremonies, etc) Why is it important for you to preserve your culture?
Archaeologists study shelters to learn how people lived and used their space. What do you think day to day activities looked like in and around (a pithouse, a tipi, a wickiup, etc)? Without having your insight, what culturally important things might an archaeologist miss when looking at the remains of (a pithouse, a tipi, a wickiup, etc)?
Stewardship of archaeological sites and artifacts is everyone’s responsibility. In what ways would you suggest adults and children help protect these special places?
Each interview will take about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Each interview will be edited for the archives. It will be further edited to max at 10 minutes in length so as to meet the needs of K-12 Educators and to meet the supplemental resource purposes of Project Archaeology curriculum. We will conduct video interviews with those descendant community members with whom we have previously worked.
Mr. Virgil Johnson, Chairman of the Goshute Tribe, lives in Sandy, Utah and has given presentations at our first Archaeology Girl Scout camp in Tooele, a teacher workshop in Price, and at two high schools in Cedar City during Archaeology Month 2017. Mr. Rick and Mrs. Rena Pikyavit, Elders from the Kanosh Band, Southern Paiute Tribe, live in Richfield and have been our consultants on the new Fremont curriculum and presented at a teacher workshop at Fremont Indian State Park. Ms. Lorraine Nakai, Elder from the Navajo Nation, lives in Bluff, but is currently undergoing cancer treatments in Grand Junction, Colorado. She is a dear friend and has been a co-teacher at two archaeology Girl Scout camps in San Juan County. Mr. Aldean Ketcham, Elder and Medicine Man from the White Mesa Ute Tribe, lives in Bluff and has given presentations at two Girl Scout Camps.
These are all wonderful people who desire to share their knowledge with the younger generation. It is important that we interview these five descendants because they understand the mission of Project Archaeology, represent four differing tribes within Utah, and are willing to help with this project.
