I was initially attracted to the internship in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Archaeology Lab because I am interested in obtaining a career in the field of archaeology and wanted to get a glimpse of what working for a state agency was like. In addition, by meeting and working with established professional archaeologists, anything that I could learn from them would help to assist in my future professional development as an archaeologist.
The purpose of the archaeology lab is to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas. They collect and curate the prehistoric and historic artifacts and material culture that has been recovered from state land, so that they may be later exhibited, interpreted and used for research. All artifacts recovered on state lands are owned by the state of Texas. The staff consists of Aina Dodge, the lab supervisor and the archaeology survey team of Margaret Howard the survey team leader, Logan McNatt, Luis Alvarado and Josh Gibbs.
Each site owned by Parks and Wildlife has a variety of maps associated with it. These maps are important for establishing the actual location of a park as well as the roads, utilities and topography within the park. They are also referenced when an archaeologist must establish the location of a known archaeological site within a park and determine what kind of work has already been completed there. My first project consisted of sorting through the collection of maps of all the properties owned by Parks and Wildlife, setting aside any duplicates and entering the rest into a database created using an excel spread sheet.
The first four to five weeks were spent on the maps inventory project. Each map was entered into the spread sheet and categorized by property name, including what type of property such as state park, state historic site, fish hatchery, wildlife management area or state natural area. Then a brief description of the type of map such as topographic or aerial was given along with any other pertinent information including the presence or absence of archaeological sites or shovel tests. Another four categories were incorporated, including the scale of the map, date, number of total maps and the region of the property involved. This project gave me some insight into the importance of documentation. When trying to record this information I found it frustrating not to know the scale of a map or the date a particular field map was being created or used. I also learned quite a bit about the different types of maps archaeologists utilize, from field maps to general highway maps as well as survey maps, to name just a few.
My next project was to make folders for the maps that I had just finished inventorying. These folders were made using a special acid free paper and acid free tape. Acid free paper is paper that has a neutral or basic ph. This keeps the documents from turning yellow or becoming brittle, allowing for their preservation for long periods of time. In between projects I spent time making photocopies of site maps, sub-locs (areas of artifacts found) and files.
Another project involved using an excel spreadsheet to document the contents of the Parks and Wildlife’s acquisition files. These are properties that were at one time considered to be attained by Parks and Wildlife, either by donation or purchase but were denied. The information in these files was categorized by property name, correspondence including but not limited to the possible acquisition of the property, proposals, memos, historic site restoration options and requests for information, maps or plans regarding the site, photos and slides, relevant articles such as magazine or book excerpts. And the last category was used for all other information such as site analysis reports and descriptive summaries.
My most interesting task was to provide logistical support for reconstruction of a 1994 university study conducted on ceramic rim sherds from Hueco Tanks State Park. I helped lab staff member (and former intern) Steven Garrett sort sherds into their types: Polychrome, Bichrome and Brown. I learned the criteria for these type designations and the subtleties regarding sorting.
After a long afternoon of looking at a computer I was asked if I wanted to learn how to throw an atlatl. Of course I jumped at the chance. An atlatl is essentially a stick with a handle on one end and a hook or socket that engages a light spear or dart on the other. A flipping motion is used to propel the spear (or dart) much faster and further than it could be thrown by hand alone. These ancient weapons preceded the bow and arrow in most parts of the world. Early people in the Americas used them to hunt Pleistocene megafauna such as mammoth and mastodon up to 11,000 years ago. We went out past the parking lot to an area that had been cleared as a right of way for a pipeline. It was approximately 200 yards long and 50 yards wide, perfect for throwing atlatls. The atlatls we used had been utilized during the annual Parks and Wildlife expo for demonstration purposes. The atlatls are also used during outreach programs for kids on field trips or day camps (and for the occasional afternoon distraction). My first few throws were horrible but I eventually got the hang of it. Soon we were joined by two rangers from Bastrop State Park that were in the area. It was fun and interesting to be doing something that was essential to the livelihood of people that lived thousands of years ago, and to imagine an animal as big as a mammoth possibly being taken down using such a small piece of equipment.
Overall my time at Texas Parks and Wildlife was a great learning experience. I have come to realize that a career in archaeology is not just about digging in the dirt and identifying artifacts. My lack of computer skills slowed me down in a field where knowledge of computer skills is a must. I have learned the fundamentals of excel, map identification, how to throw an atlatl and have a better understanding of ceramic identification. Working at Parks and Wildlife has definitely been a positive step in pushing me towards my short term goal of continuing my education through graduate school and my long term goal of working as a professional archaeologist at the level of principle investigator or manager for a federal or state agency, or possibly a private contracting company.