EARTHANGLE Hosts Live Mock Excavation Viewing

May 3, 2016 - PRLog -- Christiansted, St. Croix- The science of archaeology enables us to expand our knowledge beyond the limitations of written history. Archaeological excavations in St. Croix have produced interesting information about the daily lives of St. Croix's earliest inhabitants, such as cooking practices, housing construction technologies and ceremonial practices. Knowing how important archaeology is to St. Croix's history, EARTHANGLE, an organization that promotes social and environmental justice in the areas of Education, Arts, Reform, Travel and Humanitarianism, will host a live interactive viewing of a mock excavation on May 4. The event will take place in Room 138 of the Research Technical Park (RTP) at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) at 11:45 a.m.

"When I first saw Alicia discussing archaeology, I was extremely impressed," stated Daina King-Sall, founder and director of EARTHANGLE. "I had never met an African American archaeologist before. I wanted our students to see themselves reflected in her work and understand the importance the science of archaeology is to our history and culture. I also wanted them to see it as a viable career option so Alicia and I developed Archaeology Days as part of EARTHANGLE's Humane Inclusion Summer Camp."

The mock excavation experience is part of the Celebration of Learning Spring Symposium at Augustana College. The excavation will be led by students from the spring term course ANTH 330: Archaeology and History of the African Diaspora under the direction of the course instructor Alicia Odewale, a Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology at the University of Tulsa (TU) specializing in African Diaspora archaeology in the Caribbean and Southeastern United States. The students will experience the recreation of a historic archaeological site with artifacts that could all be found on an African Diaspora site. The site will be organized to allow the students to experience the different stations involved in a real archaeological excavation, including digging, sifting, site documentation, and public outreach stations to experience all of the moving parts and level of teamwork required in conducting a real archaeological excavation. Middle, high school, UVI students and the community will be able to view and interact via Skype while the digging takes place.

If you would like more information about this event, please contact Daina King-Sall at 617-388-6417 or e-mail Kingsall.daina@gmail.com. To learn more about Odewale's research, fieldwork and teaching, visit http://www.aliciaodewale.com.