Shutler, Richard Jr.

English

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

Conservation of ArchaeologicalSites in the PacificReceived 6 March 1972RICHARD SHUTLER, JR.XCHAEOLOGICAL sites are an irreplaceable natural resource, as are forests,:water, and minerals. Once these resources are destroyed they cannot be. . replaced. Once an archaeological site is excavated it is gone forever, andunless it has been properly excavated, the material from it is useless for scientificpurposes.There are many kinds of archaeological sites: campsites, caves, rock shelters,burial places, village sites, petroglyphs and pktographs, megalithic monuments,and sacred areas of various kinds with or without wood and/or stone carvings, etc.Due to a number of ql.Uses, the conservation of archaeological sites in thePacific is becoming of paramount importance. Ever-increasing construction projectsof all kinds, mining activities, agricultural and plantation work and the actions ofpothunters all contribute to the destruction of archaeological sites. The expansionof fieldwork by professional archaeologists in the Pacific is also a matter of someconcern. Until quite recently local governments in the Pacific have shown littleinterest in these conservation problems. Within the operating territory of the SouthPacific Commission, I know of only one locally born person who has done archaeo-logy: Luc Chevalier of the Musee Neo-Caledonien. The South Pacific Commissionis in a position to playa major role in the conservation field, not only within its ownterritory, but as a leader in this critical problem area in the Pacific.There are two major aspects to consider: (1) what we call salvage archaeologyand (2) the normal research activities of archaeologists in the Pacific. Applicable to·both of these is the necessity to preserve and rescue the material legacy of the Pacific,so that its cultural history may be reconstructed. For it is from the material cultureof archaeological sites that such a culture history is interpreted. As a beginning,regulations are needed for the preservation of archaeological sites endangered byAuthor's address: Department of Anthropology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52240. Thispaper was presented at the South Pacific Regional Symposium on Conservation of Nature---Reefsand Lagoons, Noumea, New Caledonia, August 4-14,1971.SHUTLER: Conservation of Sites 203public and private works and for the control of problem-oriented fieldwork byarchaeologists; the former to prevent the destruction of irreplaceable archaeologicalsites, the. latter to better coordinate long-range archaeological research and toprevent duplication of effort and unnecessary competition among archaeologists.A greater development of the local museums and scientific societies, such as theSociete d'Etudes Melanesiennes in New Caledonia, which has long sponsoredscientific projects in New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, is absolutely necessaryto educate and inform the local people, and to get them involved in the problems ofconservation and the proper way to solve them. The logical agencies for thisfunction are local museums and societies. The intelligent cooperation of the amateurarchaeologist is the best hope, really, for the conservation of archaeological sites.Some local agency or institution should be responsible for maintaining a repositoryof archaeological site records, operating a library, and overseeing the granting ofpermits for survey and excavation of archaeological sites, as well as coordinatinglong-range research aims. A local museum, working with an antiquities board,would be one solution to this problem.A government archaeologist attached to the local museUIn, or to a regional orterritory museum if one or more are present, would be ideal. He could coordinatearchaeological conservation and salvage work, carry on his own archaeologicalprogram (as do Chevalier in New Caledonia and Palmer in Fiji), and work witharchaeologists coming from outside, again as Chevalier and Palmer now do. Inlieu of this possibility, outside archaeologists working in a country or territoryshould be consulted on these problems, and should be willing to be consulted.Most countries, states, and provinces now have some sort of antiquity laws, whichshow varying degrees of effectiveness.To return to salvage archaeology: with the ever-increasing public and privateconstruction activities in the Pacific, mining operations, and the depredations ofpothunters, the destruction of valuable archaeological sites is increasing. at an. alarming rate.Salvage archaeology is difficult because of the need for speed in excavation, whichoften calls for the sacrifice of good excavation techniques. Excavation work undersalvage conditions is often actually only one step in front of the bulldozer. The lackof locally trained personnel and long-range planning compounds the problems.There should be laws so that private companies doing construction work orcarrying on mining operations provide funds for an archaeological survey of thearea concerned and for the excavation of any key sites that will be destroyed bythese projects. In Hawaii, as an example, when the State Government is doingwork on public property it must set aside one percent of the total budget forarchaeological salvage work. The major problem, of course, is to sell the governmenton this policy in the first place. Added to this is the need for adequate notice ofconstruction work so that the salvage archaeology work can be done. Provision mustbe made to halt work for a reasonable time should the need be to excavate, at leastpartially, a previously unknown site. The only answer to pot-hunting is education.The detailed policies of any conservation or salvage archaeology program shouldbe worked out with land management departments and local authorities.There are certain basic requirements for any conservation program, whether itbe of a salvage- or a problem-oriented nature. The first step is an archaeological2°4 AsianPerspectives, xv, 1972survey, so that at least an overall impression of the archaeological potential of anarea can be gained. Without such knowledge any sort of planning is impossible.Assuming some idea of the archaeological potential of an area, a system ofclassifying sites depending upon their archaeological importance is desirable.Admittedly, such a system is not easily developed. This would permit the establish-ment of a system of priorities and the setting aside of some archaeological sites asnational historical monuments, etc. Control of archaeological sites differs greatlyfrom area to area, in accordance with varying laws. In some countries and territories,all archaeological sites belong to the government. In others, the governmentcontrols only those sites on public land.Regardless of the amount of archaeological activity in a given area, some sitesshould be preserved because archaeological techniques are continually developing.In the future we may be able to solve problems that are mysteries to us now, thesolutions to which may throw a different light on our current thinking. If thereare no sites to excavate, this cannot be done.As mentioned earlier, one way to insure the conservation of archaeological sitesand antiquities would be to have a governmental antiquities board, working inconjunction with the local museum, to conduct all archaeological business; toapprove projects; and to approve material leaving the country, either permanentlyor for study. Further, the local museum should have a type collection and theunique pieces from any excavation. All archaeologists applying for permission toexcavate should have an affiliation with a recognized research institution (e.g., auniversity, museum, etc.). Any permit issued for fieldwork should require apreliminary report within six months of the completion of the fieldwork and a fullreport within three years. Local governments should consider the enactment oflaws providing for the prosecution of a person or persons who cause the willfuldestruction of any archaeological site or artifact. A suggested wording for such aprovision is as follows:No person shall knowingly destroy, desecrate, deface, move, excavate, or alterin any wayan archaeological site of any kind, including human burial places,petroglyphs or pictographs, or remove or cause to be removed therefrom anyarchaeological object, except to the extent he is authorized to do so by a validand subsisting permit issued by the appropriate government agency, and withparticular attention given to any local native tradition or taboo that might prevail.As a bare minimum, I would recommend the following five points as the basisof any archaeological conservation program:1. A continuing survey for archaeological sites.2. The formulation of policies to conserve sites, keeping in mind research needsof the future.3. Correlation of policies with all relevant government agencies.4. Making particular note of sites with special scenic, educational, or monu-mental value.S. Coordination by a local agency of all archaeological activities.Of special relevance to the foregoing discussion on conservation and related'SHUTLER: Conservation of Sites 2°5problems is Resolution No.1, passed by the participants in the Wenner-GrenSymposium on Oceanic Culture History, held in Sigatoka, Fiji, August 18-29,1969. This resolution is published in Studies in Oceanic Culture History, vol. 1,Pacific Anthropological Records, no. 11 (Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum,1970, p. 183).RESEARCH ETHICS IN OCEANIC RESEARCHGiven the rapid political, economic and educational development of Oceania,the participants in this Symposium recommend that all future culture historyresearch projects within the Oceanic area should exhibit a deep concern withlocal institutions and researchers. Thus, projects should not only bring togetherlocal and outside personnel in all aspects of research and publication, but also bedirected toward the early dissemination of research results and, when appropriate,the training of local researchers.Specifically we would recommend that:a) project personnel should spend 5 to 10% of their field time teaching andworking in local universities, museums, teachers' colleges, high schools andother institutions.b) local personnel, where available, should be incorporated in the project asresearchers and/or trainees. The cost should be financed by project funds(as for example the University of Hawaii's Laura project and the New GuineaResearch Unit's vacation-scholars program).c) research reports in adequate number (greater than a few courtesy copies)should be widely distributed to libraries, schools, administrators, missionsand local officers in the research country and especially in the research area.d) simple and brief summary reports should be submitted to local journals,newspapers, radio stations and schools.The discussion of the problems of the conservation of archaeological sites andmaterials in the Pacific is based on the author's experience with archaeologicalresearch in the Pacific, which began in New Caledonia in 1952. The concern forthese problems has been growing through the years.The establishment of a South Pacific Commission Advisory Committee for thepurpose of formalizing a plan for a conservation program for archaeology in thePacific, followed by strong support for such a program by the South PacificCommission, would be a major step in the right direction not only for South PacificCommission member countries, but for all Pacific countries, territories, etc.As a useful guide in the development of any archaeological program, conservationand otherwise, the generally accepted code of ethics recognized and accepted by theSociety for American Archaeology for archaeologists is presented below. (Reprintedfrom Ametican Antiquity, vol. 27, no. 2 [October, 1961].)FOUR STATEMENTS FOR ARCHAEOLOGY1. The Field of ArchaeologyArchaeology, a branch of the science of anthropology, is that area of scholarshipconcerned with the reconstruction of past human life and culture. Its primary·206 Asian Perspectives, ~v,.I972data lie in material objects and their relationships; of equal importance may beancillary data from other fields, including geology, biology, and history.2. Methods in ArchaeologyArchaeological research depends on systematic collection of material objectstogether with adequate records ofthe circumstances of the finds and relationshipsamong objects and their surroundings. Value attaches to objects so collectedbecause of their status as documents, and is not intrinsic. Therefore, collectingpractices which destroy data and· thus prevent the scholarly goal of archaeologyare censured.Explicit permission of the property owner must be secured before excavationis undertaken. State and federal statutes regarding preservation of antiquities andpermits for excavation must be scrupulously observed.Field techniques aim at preserving all recoverable information by means ofadequate descriptive records and· diagrams. Although archaeologists may takeonly a limited sample from a site, the collection should include all classes ofartifacts encountered, not excluding any category; all pertinent data, includingrelationships and associations; samples of faunal remains; and other data to beinterpreted by scientists in other fields. The archaeologist does not discard, classes ~f information in favor of a special interest.Certain basic field records must be kept, including the following: (1) A mapof the site showing the surface features of the site and environs as well as thelocation and extent of the digging. (2) Detailed written records and maps ofbprials, houses, and other structural or natural features, known or assumed to·'have significance in the cultural history of the site. (3) Stratigraphic relationshipsof data must be noted and preserved, either through separation in natural soillayers or by arbitrary levels established during digging. (4) A catalogue of all thespecimens found indicating their location, stratum of origin, and cultural associa-tion. Specimens should be labeled, numbered, and catalogued to preserve their.identity as scientific data. (5) Photographs, drawings, and other documentatiohnecessary to clarify the technique of the work and the context and associations ofthe finds.Disregard of proper archaeological methods provides grounds for expulsionfrom the Society for American Archaeology, at the discretion of the ExecutiveCommittee.3. Ethics for ArchaeologyCollections made by competent archaeologists must be available for examina-tion by qualified scholars; relevant supporting data must also be accessible forstudy whether the collection is in a museum or other institution orin privatehands.It is the scholarly obligation of the archaeologist to report his findings in arecognized scientific medium. In the event that significance of the collection doesnot warrant publication, a manuscript report should be prepared and be available.Inas~uch as the buying and selling of artifacts usually resul~ in the loss ofcontext and cultural associations, the practice is censured.SHUTLER: Conservation of Sites 207An archaeological site presents problems which must be handled by the excava-tor according to a plan. Therefore, members of the Society for AmericanArchaeology do not undertake excavations on any site being studied by someonewithout the prior knowl~dge ,and consent ofthat person.Willful destruction, distortion, or concealment of the data of archaeology isGensured, and provides grounds for expulsion from the Society for AmericanArchaeology, at the discretion of the Executive Committee.4. Recommendations for Training in ArchaeologyArchaeology is a scholarly discipline requiring knowledge of field techniques,competence in laboratory analysis of specimens, and the ability to prepare adetailed report of the investigations and their implications in archaeology;· Intimes past, a number of leading archaeologists have acquired the necessary skill,swithout formal training, but they; as well as archaeologists trained inc scholarlytechniques, have spent years in the study of archaeology as a science. The Societyfor American Archaeology condemns uncontrolled excavation by persons whohave not been trained in the basic techniques of field archaeology and scholarship.The Society for American Archaeology recotnIliends the following formaltraining as a minimum qualification for persons planning to enter archaeologyas a career. Individuals engaging in archaeology as a profession should acquirethe B.A. or B.Sc. degree from'an accredited college or university, followed bytwo years of graduate study with concentration in anthropology and specializationin archaeology during one of these programs: This formal training should besupplemented by at le~t two summer field schools or their equivalentuiider thesupervision of archaeologists of recognized competence. ,A Master's thesis orequivalent in published reports is higWy recommended. The Ph.D. in anthropo-logy is recommended but not required.

Conservation of Archaeological Sites in the Pacific

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Conservation of Archaeological Sites in the Pacific

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