Proceedings History - Society for California Archaeology

24
that SCA Past-President Jay von Werlhof’s health is not good
and he cannot get out of the house much anymore. I’m sure
he would appreciate a telephone call (760 358-7368) or a
note.
And a final note of thanksB to the many SCA members
who email me and let me know of important archaeological
events or problems throughout the state. Without your eyes
and ears, I could not be as effective when I attend meetings
on your behalf. Thank you for your feedback and assistance.
Happy Holidays to you all. I wish for Peace in the New Year.
SCA Newsletter 39(4)
— Shelly Davis-King
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New Publications
Denise Thomas
This series offers an annotated bibliography of recently
published and some unpublished literature pertinent to
current debates and methods in Californian archaeology.
Prehistoric and historical archaeology will appear in alternate
issues. If you have any news or ideas about how this section
can better fit the needs of its audience feel free to email the
author: djaffke@parks.ca.gov. Please limit contributions to
those that can be easily accessed by all members of the SCA
and have appeared within the last five years.
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Michaels, G.
2005 Peck-Marked Vessels from the San José Market Street
Chinatown: A Study of Distribution and Significance.
International Journal of Historical Archaeology
9(2):123-134.
Artifacts and features associated with Market Street
Chinatown were discovered during archaeological monitoring
for a construction project of what is today San José’s
downtown Fairmont Hotel. Salvage operations were
conducted in 1985 and 1986 by Archaeological Resource
Service (ARC). The collection was further processed and
inventoried by Basin Research Associates and submitted to
Barbara Voss of Stanford University for analysis.
The artifact assemblage is varied but dominated by ceramics,
faunal remains and glass artifacts. Artifacts recovered from
the southern portion of the Chinatown include an MNV of
1062 ceramic containers; of these, 16 display individual
markings. These markings were intentionally hand-pecked
into the surface of the vessels. Most of the marks are
decipherable Chinese characters while the remainder are
more ambiguous. The markings appear on a wide variety of
vessel forms ranging from large serving bowls to small
condiment dishes. Of the 16 pieces that exhibit the
markings, 12 were translated.
The archaeological map of excavated features was
superimposed over the Sanborn map to assess spatial context.
Marked vessels were then linked with their recorded feature
numbers and matched to their location. Twelve artifacts with
markings were sorted into two categories. Seven of the
pieces refer to individuals or family homes while the
remaining five were identified as wishes or blessings.
Michael reports a strong correlation between the type of
markings and their associated context. It appears that the
majority of the vessels that were marked with blessings or
wishes were associated with buildings identified as family-run
stores whereas, items with family names were located near
buildings identified as tenement houses.
The author suggests that this patterning can be attributed to
either tradition preservation or “hybridized art.” Market
Street Chinatown was one of the earliest Chinese
communities in California. Marking ceramics could have
been one way to maintain cultural heritage in a foreign
country. The term “hybridized art” is used to suggest that
individuals and families could likely mark their wares as a
means to identify personal property. It is Michael’s position
that marks found on these vessels are marks of ownership.
Perry, J.E.
2004 Authentic Learning in Field Schools: Preparing Future
Members of the Archaeological Community. World
Archaeology 36(2):236-260.
Perry raises questions regarding objectives and pedagogies
inherent in the archaeological field school setting and
whether participation in this type of learning environment
better prepares students for professional careers in
archaeology. The assessment of archaeological field schools,
in general, is represented in research programs conducted on
San Clemente Island off the coast of southern California.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Center
for Public Archaeology at California State University,
Northridge (CSUN) in cooperation with the United States
Navy, have directed eleven field schools between 1983 to
2003 at the island. These programs are discussed in the
context of post-processual theories, particularly the feminist
perspective, to evaluate their educational value in preparing
the next generation of professional archaeologists.
Authentic learning occurs when individuals work collectively
to solve genuine problems through meaningful interactions.
Perry views the field school environment exhibits the basic
characteristics of an authentic research setting in that students
practice archaeology as fellow community members to
actively construct knowledge about past societies through
material remains. One measure of success is the degree to