I never knew how much I could love any subject until I discovered Anthropology. First being attracted to the subject of social sciences through studying History, my mind became captivated by the desire to know the origins of the U.S. and ultimately the world. Possessing historical knowledge challenged my mind to explore the capabilities of the human race and to discover how societal structures came to be.  Studying the history of various civilizations opened the door, however Anthropology fueled my passion for understanding cultures and researching the intersectionality of identity, race/ethnicity, sociocultural and socioeconomic implications endured by lasting effects from the colonizing of nations.

My name is Tiffany Peacock and I am a rising senior at the University of South Carolina. I enter my fourth and final year with anticipation to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and History by May 2017. Since my freshman year at USC, I was determined to study subjects that I am passionate about building a career in. As an African American female, I am interested in historical origins, identity, bioarcheology, and expressional culture within the African Diaspora because I desire to learn as much as I can about my personal ancestral heritage. The desire to learn about my heritage and sharing this knowledge with others of my ethnicity are my primary motivations for becoming a researcher within the academic field. I believe that through research and cultural awareness projects, this exploration of African American history and the African Diaspora culture will create more openness and less ethnocentric mindsets throughout the U.S and the world.

Choosing to major in Anthropology was one of the best decisions I could have made because the discipline opens up many opportunities where I can transform my dreams into realities! Divided into four fields consisting of Archaeology, Biological/Physical, Linguistic, and Socio-Cultural; studying to become a professional anthropologist provides me with the necessary skills to interact with various cultures, communities, and historiographies. My ultimate goal is to become a researcher through academia or began a career working for the Federal government in either Heritage Preservation, the National Park System, or the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. I plan to become a trained professional in bioarcheology and cultural Anthropology field work to further develop how to expand my research skills as a member of a collaborative and professional team.
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For the summer of 2016, I was awarded the opportunity to attend the Ifugao Archaeological Project Field School in the Philippines. Earning a scholarship from the National Science Foundation, I am very gracious to be a part of the Research Expericence Undergraduate program. Participating in the Ifugao Archaeological Project will lend support for fulfilling my goals by allowing the opportunity for application of methodologies and knowledge learned within the classroom, to be put into practice within the field. Having completed lab courses such as Human Osteology and Archaeology Lab Methods, I look forward to using artifact analysis and identification within the research field to learn firsthand about the techniques of preserving cultural heritage. I have never studied abroad before and I hope that attending the Ifugao Field School will build a network of professional peers and mentors that I will potentially be able to collaborate and brainstorm research ideas with as a student researcher. One thing I am looking forward to learning more about is how the Ifugao Archaeological Project incorporates the community in everything. I believe that for a research project to be successful, project leaders and fellow research associates should have a great relationship with the community being that it directly involves their personal history. I am also excited to be working with a cohort who share the same passion for anthropology as I do, while taking part in an experience that will impact and stay with me forever.

By: Robin Meyer-Lorey, UCLA
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I have long had a passion for exploration and learning, which has culminated in a deep desire for travel and a love of history. I have always felt at home in the outdoors, and since my childhood I have been a hands-on learner. I remember combing through Native-American artifacts in my grandfather’s basement in Oregon, saddened but fascinated when he decided to return them to a local tribe. During the summer before beginning college, I was given the gift of a large stack of books. Among them were several books that covered archaeological discoveries. I was drawn in by the romantic title of Lost Land Emerging, the dramatic quote on the back of Island of Isis, “To speak of the dead is to make them live again,” and the incredible stories of Howard Carter and Heinrich Schliemann. These traits and interests found a perfect venue for expression when, upon beginning my first year at UCLA, I discovered that I could pursue archaeology as a field of study and possible future career. I find that learning about history in any form is one of the most rewarding things I can do, and the prospect of being able to literally uncover pieces of the past is incredibly exciting and stimulating to me. The idea of reaching back and touching things that had meaning to people who came long before me carries a profound sense of awe and importance.

In my first term at UCLA, I took a Southeast Asian history course because of a scheduling conflict, and ended up falling in love with this vibrant, complex, and understudied region of the world. This, coupled with an introductory archaeology course that used examples from excavations in Ifugao, inspired me to take a leap and apply to take part in the field school at the excavation over the summer. I was stunned and ecstatic when I learned that I had received acceptance and funding through the NSF-REU program. Since then, I have declared my major as anthropology and begun taking archaeology courses. I have read about Southeast Asia and the Philippines, and awaited the date when I depart for Ifugao with excitement.
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Because I have only just completed my first year at UCLA, I hope to take advantage of my time with the IAP as an incredible learning opportunity. I look forward to wholeheartedly diving in to studying a topic which I find entirely fascinating. I am very excited to work alongside others who share genuine interest in the region and its history, and I feel very content knowing that the IAP encourages community involvement and is doing important work towards using education and history to resolve misunderstandings of local people and their heritage. This project exemplifies the huge importance of learning more about history through active engagement and study of underrepresented people and the areas they inhabit.

The Ifugao Archaeological Project (IAP) returns to the Old Kiyyangan Village, Habian, Brgy, Mungayang, Kiangan, Ifugao for its 2016 field season.  The 2016 field season marks the end of the first phase of the archaeological research program.  The first phase of the investigations has so far provided information regarding the late introduction of wet rice varieties in the region (post-dating AD 1650); rapid expansion of the village soon after the adoption of wet rice varieties; and increases in social and political differentiation.  We argue that these changes allowed the Ifugao to resist repeated attempts to place them under the direct control of the Spanish colonial administration.  Scholarly articles that provide details on these and other arguments can be accessed here. 

The 2016 field season features 13 new participants, eight returning former participants (undergraduate and undergraduate students), and five senior personnel.  We are also joined by our colleagues from the National Museum, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples-Ifugao, and the University of the Philippines-Archaeological Studies Program.  

The 2016 IAP Crew:

Esther Aguayo, San Diego State University
Dr. Grace Barretto-Tesoro, UP-ASP
Dr. Mary Jane Louise Bolunia, National Museum
Lorena D'Urzo, CSU-Chico
Mikhail Echavarri, University of Washington
Dr. Alan Farahani, UCLA
Marko Germono, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Danielle Kalani Heinz, UCLA
Dr. Mauricio Hernandez, UCLA
Karen Honda, University of Hawaii-Manoa
Ricardo Samson Iglesias II, UC-Berkeley
Jared Koller, Boston University
Queeny Lapena, UCLA
Dr. Adam Lauer, IARII/University of Hawaii-Manoa
Wendy Layco, CSU-LA
Esther Licnachan, NCIP-Ifugao
Dr. Chin-hsin Liu, CSU-Northridge
Marlon Martin, SITMo
Robin Meyer-Lorey, UCLA
Richard Nicolas, CSU-LA
Matthew Ordinario, Fordham
Tiffany Peacock, University of South Carolina 
Christopher Roldan, Hunter College
Isadora Sharon, Humboldt State
Marie Antoinette Sioco, UP-ASP
AJ Steinbruchel, University of Hawaii-Manoa
Margaret Von Rotz, UCLA
Maddie Yakal, UCLA
Emily Zulueta, CSU-LA