OKPAN QUARTERLY
Fall 2020
Volume 3 (Issue 1)
3 Letter from the Director
9 Oklahoma Archaeology Month Events Calendar
Your guide to all that's going on in Oklahoma in the month of October.
16 Community Spotlight: Gerald Franklin
23 OKPAN Faces
Ongoing series highlighting OKPAN staff, volunteers, interns and advisory board members
22 Oklahoma Anthropological Society
4 Oklahoma Archaeology Month
21 OKPAN Community Service Award
Ongoing series highlighting OKPAN staff, volunteers, interns, and advisory board members.
(Cover image courtesy of Naomi Dunn)
Ella Crenshaw interviews OAS member and longtime OKPAN volunteer Gerald Franklin.
10 Power, Politics, and Place: The Impact and Archaeology of Early 20th Century Anti-Black Massacres in the United States
The latest events and news from OAS.
Nkem Ike discusses her dissertation research examining anti-Black violence against communities in the United States.
IN THIS ISSUE
A letter introducing the fall issue from our executive director, Dr. Bonnie Pitblado.
OKPAN announces the first ever Community Service Award winner, Gerald Franklin.
October is Oklahoma Archaeology Month. Learn more about this year's events!
3
(Spring Wildflowers at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Elise Smith, CC BY 2.0) 6
Bonnie Pitblado OKPAN Executive Director, Robert E. and Virginia Bell Professor of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Oklahoma
Dear OQ Readers, We last published OKPAN Quarterly (Volume 2.1) a year ago, and we told you then that our editorial team had decided to subsequently publish twice per year (in fall and spring), rather than four times. The idea was to give our writers more time to develop, research, and write fresh content for you. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic struck as we geared up to produce our spring 2020 issue. Like so much else, the virus forced us to rethink everything OKPAN does and how we do it. Our world pivoted to a new virtual reality, and the planned spring OQ (Volume 2.2) became a casualty of the transition. But it is the beginning of a new year for OKPAN, and we are pleased to help launch it withOQ Volume 3.1. We are also pleased to share that we will make up for pandemic losses with a return to our quarterly roots, so expect to see three more issues in the winter, spring, and summer to come. October is, of course, Oklahoma Archaeology Month (OAM), a time that museums, universities, tribes and many others celebrate heritage. In a normal year, these events take place all over the state. This year, most of them are—you guessed it!—online. In the pages that follow, see (and interact with!) the lovely 2020 OAM poster, read about and register for OKPAN’s three OAM offerings, and check out a delicious menu of events hosted by others who share our passion for the past. You will also find a piece by Nkem Ike, a doctoral candidate in the University of Tulsa Anthropology Department. Ike discusses her research on anti-Black race massacres in Tulsa, Providence (RI), Springfield (IL), and Rosewood (FL). She shows how archaeologists can at once illuminate the past and advance social justice in the present. We round out the issue by shining our “community spotlight” on Gerald Franklin, the recipient of OKPAN’s first-ever Community Service award. Learn how this remarkable Oklahoman has become involved in archaeological research, teaching, and service, and hear his suggestions for how you can follow suit. Thank you for being part of the OKPAN community, and happy Oklahoma Archaeology Month! Sincerely,
Dr. Bonnie Pitblado
Letter from OKPAN'S Executive Director
4
We have a poster! This year’s Oklahoma Archaeology Month poster was designed by Naomi Dunn, a joint Anthropology and Graphic Design major at Tulsa University. The theme, “We Are Making History,” explores our connection to things, the meaning and stories they carry, and how that meaning shifts and changes through time. This poster was inspired by a relatively new OKPAN initiative, the Oklahoma Community Heritage Project (OKCHP). This project seeks to impart the idea that the importance and significance of objects does not derive from their tangible qualities but from the stories they can tell us about ourselves. This virtual collection showcases photos of heirlooms and beloved objects and their associated stories from all over the state of Oklahoma and beyond. By contributing an object to the project, contributors are asked to consider what they value about their own heritage and how their history speaks to their lives in the present day. If you’d like to contribute an object of your own to the project, please visit okpan.org, and click on the Oklahoma Community Heritage Project tab. Finally, please be sure to visit our website and enjoy our fully interactive version of the poster! All objects are interactive and link to their respective stories and information. While many of the objects are beloved family heirlooms donated to OKCHP, others are historic artifacts, archived through the Oklahoma Historical Society. Will you be able to tell which is which? Visit our interactive poster on our website to find out! CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR INTERACTIVE OAM 2020 POSTER. ClICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA COMMUNITY HERITAGE PROJECT.
WE ARE MAKING HISTORY
7
6
Oklahoma Archaeology Month 2020
Dealing with the Fringe: Archaeological Thinking About Everything from Ancient Aliens to Viking Runestones, by Larry Zimmerman October 7, 2020 (6:00 PM): Dr. Larry Zimmerman will explore pseudoarcheology happening right here in the state as he tackles debates centered around the Heavener Runestones and Viking archaeology. Dr. Zimmerman is professor emeritus of Anthropology & Museum Studies at the Indian University-Purdue University Indianapolis, where he is the Public Scholar of Native American Representation. Register here Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: A Conversation with Chip Colwell and Gordon Yellowman October 14, 2020 (6:00 PM): Dr. Chip Colwell and Gordon Yellowman will give insight and answer questions about Colwell’s book, Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: Inside the Fight to Reclaim Native America’s Culture (University of Chicago Press, 2017), offering insider perspectives on the complex process of repatriation between museums and Indigenous communities. Chip Colwell is the editor-in-chief of Sapiens, an online anthropological magazine, while Gordon Yellowman is Cheyenne Chief of the Southern Cheyenne Nation. The book is available for purchase here. Register here Towards an Antiracist Archaeology: Strategies for Creating and Sustaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Field, In the Canon, and in the Profession. A Workshop with Dr. Mia L. Carey October 18, 2020 (3:00 pm): This workshop will address the legacy of racism in archaeology and steps we can take to combat expressions that linger today. Dr. Carey is an independent scholar whose research centers on African American experiences through foodways of free individuals during the 19th and 20th centuries and more recently, the silencing and suppression of African Islam in the United States. Register here
It’s that time of year again! October is Oklahoma Archaeology Month (OAM), and while Covid-19 may have put a wrench in our initial plans, we’re thrilled to still be able to celebrate our state’s heritage, history, and archaeology with you. This year we are pleased to offer all OKPAN-sponsored OAM events digitally and free of charge. It’s been a tough few month for everyone, so if you’re looking for a distraction and would enjoy thought -provoking discussions from several of the best minds in the field, keep reading to learn more about our fantastic lineup of speakers.
Be sure to check in frequently with our website and social media pages for other events happening throughout the state. Like OKPAN's offerings, many other events are digital as well, so you’re sure to find something that fits your interests. We can’t wait for you to join us for a fantastic Oklahoma Archaeology Month 2020!
8
For more information and a complete list of events, please visit our website at okpan.org!
Archaeology Trowel, HeritageDaily, CC BY-SA 3.0
Oklahoma Archaeology Month Calendar
9
October 2020
OCTOBER 1
Cemetery Symbols: Carved in Stone Oklahoma History Center Online Program, 1 - 3 PM
OCTOBER 7
An Archaeology of Redress and Restorative Justice Indigenous Archaeology Collective Online Panel, 3 - 5 PM
OCTOBER 14
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples UCLA Law Online Panel, 2:15 - 3:30 PM
Brown Bag Lecture Series Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center Online Presentation, 12 PM
OCTOBER 2
OCTOBER 6
The Legacy of the Green Book Oklahoma History Center Online Presentation, 6 PM
OCTOBER 3
Plundered Skulls and Stolen Spirits: A Conversation with Chip Colwell and Gordon Yellowman OKPAN Online Discussion, 6 PM
OCTOBER 15
Life at Hunter's Home: Annual Ghost Stories Event Hunter's Home Online Event, all month
OCTOBER 11
Dealing with the Fringe: Thinking About Everything from Ancient Aliens to Viking Runestones by Larry Zimmerman OKPAN Online Lecture, 6 PM
OCTOBER 18
Chaht Tosholi Vitual Speaker Series: Pre-removal Choctaw History with Greg O'Brien Choctaw Nation Historic Preservation, 11 AM
Chuck Wagon Dinner: Grab-and-Go Chisholm Trail Museum, Kingfisher, 6 PM
Sehoy Thrower (Garden Demonstration) Moundville Archaeological Park Online Demonstration, 9 - 10 AM
Towards an Anti-Racist Archaeology workshop with Mia Carey OKPAN Online Archaeological Skills Workshop, 3 - 4 PM
Underwater Cultural Heritage: An ACUA Seminar Society American Archaeology Online Seminar, 2 - 4 PM
OCTOBER 22
OCTOBER 31
Native American Day Virtual Market Tulsa Native American Day & Oklahoma Indian Festival, 2 - 5 PM
Power, Politics, and Place:
By Nkem Ike
10
(Greenwood Massacre, bswise, CC0 1.0) 6
The Impact and Archaeology of Early 20th Century Anti-Black Race Massacres in the United States
I
first learned about the Tulsa race massacre in the Fall of 2010 after a class assignment from my college English professor. Students had to do a presentation about an event from our local history, so I asked my mother about a potential topic. Even though she is not from Oklahoma, she suggested the violent attack against the Black Tulsa community in 1921. At the time I had no idea what she was talking about. During my presentation, it became clear to me that no one else in the class had heard about the massacre either. Admittedly, I was ignorant of the robust and complex history of Tulsa, Oklahoma. For my research, my mother accompanied me on a tour of the Mable B. Little house and Greenwood Cultural Center. While at the Little house, I saw how people lived during that time. The furniture and trinkets were all placed in a way to personalize the home. It became apparent that the space was intended to transport visitors to a place in history that time tried to forget, while the photographs of survivors lining the walls at the Greenwood Cultural Center showed us their pain and re silience. As we left the Center, I looked out at Vernon AME church, Interstate 244, and the few businesses that still lined the street. At that moment I found it hard to believe that such a large, vibrant community had once existed there. After initially learning about the massacre, I was left with more questions than answers. I found myself asking: how could something like this happen? How have I never heard about it? I felt remorse and sadness upon realizing that there was chunk of not only American history, but my own history that I was missing. I began to wonder when other people found out about the atrocities that happened in Tulsa and who told them. Now I understand that the lack of discourse and education was yet another atrocity committed against the Black community in Tulsa and in similar places all over the United States. The systematic erasure of race massacres from the public record represents a powerful political tool that justifies the lack of Black people in the historical and archaeological record. It is a way to evade blame and claim that Black people don’t care about history. My exploration of race massacres is my way, as a Black American, a feminist, and a historical archaeologist of dispelling these myths and addressing these questions. The communities of anti-Black violence under the purview of my research are Snowtown in Providence, Rhode Island; Springfield, Illinois; Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Rosewood, Florida. To center Black people in my research, I employ Black feminist archaeology theory and a Black geographies methodological approach. At their core, these frameworks highlight the political nature of race, space, place, identity, and memory. In Black Feminist Archaeology, archaeologist Whitney Battle-Baptiste argues for archaeology from a Black feminist standpoint because of its ability to bring people into the narrative that have long been erased or had their historical impacts ignored. In her article, "A Black Feminist Inspired Archaeology," Maria Franklin notes that the role of this approach is grounded in incorporating a perspective that focuses on the Black experience, which is integral to understanding how communities view themselves. Franklin said it best when she stated that whether collective memories are real or not, they "project our sense of longing to belong in a society where our citizenship is still in question." Katherine McKittrick describes Black geographies in her book, Demonic Grounds: Black Women and the Cartographies of Struggle, as "space, place, and location in their physical materiality and imaginative configurations [which] allows us to engage with a narrative that locates and draws on Black histories and Black subjects in order to make visible social lives which are often displaced [and] rendered ungeographic." By centering Black people, their experiences, identities, and perceptions of place, archaeology can be a tool for social justice to help bring communities on paths of reconciliation. To engage with Black feminist archaeology theory and a Black geographies methodology, my analysis must first position itself as both comparative and community collaborative. With these approaches, I am able to more deeply understand anti-Black race massacres, how the physical landscapes underwent radical transformations over time, and the ways in which diverse communities responded and continue to respond to these changes. In addition, I can better examine the dislocation and movement of Black people and other locals from these communities. With that said, it is clear from the work done by these communities that the efforts to remember, commemorate, and find justice is a constant, yet worthy endeavor. I initially chose these communities for my research because of the existing archaeology, but as I started doing more research, uncovering more about each enclave, a need for community collaboration and a comparative analysis became more apparent. The process of working with communities reveals how people reimagine their local landscapes so that it both reflects the violent events that took place but also commemorates and emphasizes their unique collective identity. This approach forces archaeologists to prioritized and integrate Black people's knowledge into the field. This also positions archaeology to highlight existing community member work. This research is important to me for a multitude of reasons. Anti-Black race massacres were the result of political ecosystems that safeguarded forces of white supremacy. But this legacy is not left in the past, and instead, massacres should be seen as magnified examples of violence against Black people that still persists today. Therefore, fundamentally, it is important to situate my research as a political statement that shows how the reclamation of space by communities, altered by anti-Black violence, is foundational to the concept of community building. This notion makes Black place-making and memory formation a political tool that draws awareness to the power, resilience, and survival of Black people. This research is deeply personal for me, because I’m not just looking at other communities, I’m also examining my own. Due to this, any approach I take will inevitably reflect the complex political aspects of anti-Black race massacres. The process of working with these communities reveals the ways that people reimagine their local landscapes to reflect the violent events that took place there but also commemorate and emphasize their community identity. As long as there are deep fissures of inequality in the United States, research surrounding and our understanding of various forms of anti-Black violence will remain important. I frequently hear from colleagues and classmates that they decide on research topics because they are fascinated by them. I must admit that I am not “fascinated” by research on race massacres or any other form of anti-Black violence. Rather, work surrounding race massacres is rooted in the pain of what it means to be Black in the United States. Anti-Black race massacre work and research is emblematic of the fact that there has always existed a struggle within the communities where these massacres took place. Engaging with the history of violence against Black people is painful, traumatic, and unnerving. However, what does make this work rewarding is uncovering the power of Black people and using all the tools at my disposal to highlight that power. Knowing that I am a part of a lineage of community members, activists, and scholars who have taken on the responsibility of doing this research makes me proud. This work is but one example of the resilience of these communities. For me, the ways in which Black people see themselves and their community and formulate their own identity is a political move, and one that necessitates our attention as friends, family, community members, and scholars. Now that there is more public discourse, research, and visibility around Greenwood and other predominately Black communities, it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge and fight for their legacies.
Recently renovated Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa.
11
(Background photo courtesy of Scott Hammerstedt)
12
#TulsaSyllabus The #TulsaSyllabus project is a comprehensive list of sources about the Tulsa Greenwood District and race discourse in Oklahoma. Visit their website to learn more!
13
14
15
Want to learn more about the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma? Check out these local resources! Greenwood Cultural Center 322 North Greenwood Ave https://greenwoodculturalcenter.com/ John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation 535 North Greenwood Ave. https://www.jhfcenter.org/contact Rudisill Regional Library 400 Civic Center https://www.tulsalibrary.org/locations/rudisill
Nkem Ike is a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tulsa and a member of OKPAN's advisory board.
18
it
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT:
16
Gerald Franklin Interview by Ella Crenshaw
17
Franklin demonstrates for the OKPAN team at his workshop.
ast spring, I had the privilege of interviewing Gerald Franklin, an avocational archaeologist, flintknapper, blacksmith, and frequent OKPAN volunteer who has taught workshops, attended conferences, and is overall highly involved in Oklahoma archaeology. I visited Gerald at his backyard workshop to chat about his background, interests, and involvement in Oklahoma archaeology. EC: So Gerald, tell me a little about yourself. GF: Well, I was born at a very early age. I spent almost 23 years in the army; I was field artillery until I retired. After that, I started work as a defense contractor, a software engineer, and I analyzed software for tactical computers. I finally burned out on that, and I told [my wife] Frankie that I’d retired once, and I don’t want to retire again, so this time I just quit. Then I started raising cattle on our place down south and east of Duncan. I did that for 20-something years and then got old and moved to town, but I got involved in blacksmithing a while before that. EC: What introduced you to blacksmithing? GF: Well, when I was a rancher, one day I was sitting at the PC, and I wondered if I would get any hits if I looked up blacksmithing. And so I did, and the screen lit up with all sorts of sites and supply companies. I had welders and torches and stuff like that to keep everything fixed when bulls tore it up on the ranch, so I bought a how-to book online. I probably understood maybe half of it. Too many technical terms like “chisel.” I was out in the pasture one day checking the cows, I had my radio on the Lawton NPR station, and this ad came on saying, “We’re going to have a one-day blacksmithing workshop all day Saturday. We’ll feed you lunch. Costs $100.” So I was interested, and I went back to the house and took that before the Ways and Means Committee, Frankie. I said, if I go take this class, I’ll either get bit by the bug or decide I don’t want anything to do with it and give the book away. Well, obviously, the bug bit me. That’s when I found out about our state blacksmithing association, Saltfork Craftsmen, and started going to their meetings and workshops. Eventually this was how I started helping out with demonstrations at the Museum of the Great Plains and heard about the Oklahoma Anthropological Society. EC: You’ve been a member of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society (OAS) for about 15 years now, right? GF: Yep, I joined the OAS while I was still ranching, in 2005, so this would be my fifteenth year. But I wasn’t near as active in it as I am up here [in Norman], because I was a member of was the Greater Southwest Chapter, and they had meetings and events once a month, but it was about a 60 miles drive for me, versus 80 miles to Norman, so I didn’t do a lot. I participated in a mammoth dig down in Southwest Oklahoma. We kept excavating mammoth bones until the Museum of the Great Plains said, “Stop, we don’t have any more room!” I also dug at the Longest site down on the Red River in Jefferson county. That was an interesting one, and then I dug up at Deer Creek. Well, I think that maybe my digging days are slowly drawing to an end, I can’t get down and get up like I used to, so I have to resign myself to analyzing in the lab in the air conditioning. EC: What got you interested in archaeology and OAS in the first place? GF: I’ve always been interested in that stuff, from TV programs and such, and I have a few older books that interested me in sites like Stonehenge. But I really got involved in the OAS through the Museum of the Great Plains. As a blacksmith, I'd help them with demonstrations; basically volunteer at the museum when they would have living history days and things like that. They used to have a big Mountain Man Rendezvous out there, and then at other times of the year they would have school kids visit to see a blacksmith. I started doing that, because at the time there weren’t many blacksmiths around Lawton. Somewhere along the line I guess they put me on an email list, and I heard about somebody coming to talk about Caddo pottery on Saturday. I went to the public event, and it seemed like a pretty good outfit, so I just joined OAS right then. I sort of wasn’t a very active member, but I keep my hand in archaeology much more since I moved up here. EC: Norman seems like a good place for getting involved in archaeology, being so near the University. GF: Certainly. We moved up here around Thanksgiving of 2014. The following summer Dr. Bonnie Pitblado sponsored a survey up around Gunnison, Colorado. There were several grad students there, and they invited people from the OAS to come up and spend a week there on a survey. All you had to do was get there, and there were probably five or six of us from around the state. While I was up there, I noticed one of the students was reading a flintknapping book, one of the ones that I have. I commented to her that I had the same book, and she said that Dr. Pitblado was using it as one of the textbooks for her lithic analysis class in the fall. So I said, "Boy, I would really like to sit in on that class." She said, "Why don’t you just get a hold of Bonnie, and see if you can do that." So I asked Dr. Pitblado if I could sit in and audit the class, and that’s how we got going. EC: How long have you been helping out with the lithics course? GF: I have helped Bonnie Pitblado for the last four years with her class. She teaches every other year, and I teach the lithics students the practical knapping things. She wants them - rather than just showing them a pile of stuff like what’s generally left for archaeologists to find -to at least get a feel for knapping. EC: What advice would you give to someone interested in learning more about archaeology? GF: It turns out that the state law in Oklahoma says that anybody over 65 can audit classes in any state college or university free of charge. OU handles it through their enrollment office. You submit a form to the professor and to enrollment, and they enter you into the system just like a student. This is how I can get Canvas, the library, JSTOR, and all the classes I audit. Anybody should be able to do it, not just for anthropology or archaeology classes, but for any college course. I think that’s useful information. It’s something everyone should know they’re able to do, and they should give it a try if they’re interested.
L
Franklin has been a blacksmith for more than 15 years.
19
Franklin posing with his work.
Ella Crenshaw is the Assistant Director of OKPAN and a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Oklahoma.
Franklin leads a flintknapping workshop at the 2020 Oklahoma Archaeology Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
20
This year, we are thrilled to present Gerald with the first ever OKPAN Community Service Award! This award recognizes his continued support and dedication to the organization. Gerald has organized three Archaeological Skills Workshops, hosted OU flintknapping classes, and is an active OAS member.
21
OKPAN COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
THE OKLAHOMA ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY NEWS AND EVENTS
Now accepting applications for 2021!
Submission Requirements
The Oklahoma Anthropological Society is now accepting proposals for their $1000 Oklahoma Research Grant! Funds are available to any undergraduate student, graduate student, or professional archaeologist working in the state. Applicants must be a member of OAS. Funds may be awarded for but not limited to fieldwork expenses, lab analyses, or geophysics research. Proposals are due by December 13, 2020. For more information, please contact Ray McAllister at okla.anthro.society@gmail.com.
Applicants should submit a 1-12 proposal to okla.anthro.society@gmail.com. Projects should include the following: Name, institution, mailing address, email, and phone number Description of project, including benefit to Oklahoma archaeology and how avocational archaeologists will be included (if appropriate) Documentation of permits, permissions, and tribal consultations Repository where artifacts, research, and documentation will be archived Advisor's name, address, and phone number Letter of support from advisor
22
Savannah miller
23
OKPAN Intern
Blake McDonald is an undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Anthropology. Blake will complete his degree in December 2020. He plans to take the LSAT upon graduation and continue his education in Law School.
Noah is an undergraduate student at the University of Oklahoma double majoring in Anthropology and Music. He has traveled all over the state and is fascinated by everything he has learned. He is excited to work with OKPAN to share his knowledge of the state's rich archaeology with its people.
OKPAN FACES
Blake McDonald
Savannah Miller is an undergraduate at the University of Oklahoma majoring in Anthropology and minoring in History. She has experience with the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History and has done fieldwork in Rocky Mountain National Park. She hopes to help build a passion for archaeology and preservation within our community.
Noah Place
Text
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and visit our website, okpan.org!
Special thanks to Naomi Dunn for designing our beautiful 2020 Oklahoma Archaeology Month poster as well as the cover for this issue of OKPAN Quarterly!
24
The Oklahoma Public Archaeology Network's Mission Statement: Bridging communities with a passion for the past through public education and outreach, research and teaching partnerships, and professional development opportunities.
~ Letters to the editor may be sent to ~ okpanquarterly@gmail.com
OKPAN Quarterly Staff: Delaney Cooley - Editor-in-Chief Kate Newton - Assistant Editor