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Margaret Von Rotz, UCLA, 16 June 2016


    What brought me to the Ifugao Field School has nothing to do with archeology. I am not an anthropology major, nor am I full Filipino. So why am I here?
    Let’s start with what I am – I’m Margaret Von Rotz, a half-Pilipina, half-white rising third year at UCLA. I’m an International Development Studies major (hopefully). And I’m from Ifugao. Me: as in my mom, her family, our ancestors, my heritage. My mom, Roselyn Palaghicon Von Rotz, was born and raised in Kiangan, Ifugao, and I’m fortunate enough to have visited her village 4 times now. I, by chance, heard about Professor Acabado’s research through a former field school student. The thought of my indigenous culture being something worth studying was beyond my own comprehension, and I slowly realized what a unique opportunity this would be. 
    Though I found out about the field school during my first quarter at UCLA, it took me a year to finally apply. I was extremely intimidated by the fact that I had no archaeological research experience, or any research experience at all. I was decidedly pre-med. I was incapable of claiming my indigenous heritage as my own. By my second-year, I changed majors, applied to the field school, and got involved with the Pilipinx community as I waited for the notification. I worked with Samahang Pilipino (the voice of undergraduate Pilipinx students at UCLA) to lobby and advocate for Filipino-American veterans of WWII in Los Angeles and Washington DC. I participated in UCLA’s Samahang Pilipino Cultural Night to learn more about Kordilyeran culture. I took Filipino classes to learn the language and more Philippine history. I began getting to know people in Anakbayan LA and Gabriela, both of which are great grass-roots organizations with goals of creating equity for Pilipinxs worldwide. In this transformative year, I thought about my own indigenous heritage within a larger context as part of the Pilipinx diaspora, and how being an International Development Studies major (and doing this research) could help me dissect the social and political issues facing the motherland and my people today. 
    For my research, I have a lot of work to do, in much of what I consider uncharted territory for myself. I’m deeply interested in pericolonialism and its effects on religion and social systems among the Ifugao. As an Ifugao woman who has personally experienced several interesting fusions of traditional Ifugao belief systems and the imposed Catholic belief system, I’m ready to investigate how these fusing of belief systems could be examples of resistance to Spanish colonialism.
    I’m excited for what I’m going to learn academically and the skills I will gain, but what I’m most excited for is the chance to rediscover Ifugao. I know I won’t look at its roads, its buildings, its homes, its terraces, and its people in the same way. Ifguao has always been a homeland in my heart that would always be too distant, too foreign, too inexplicably Tuwali Ifugao that I could never claim it as just a half-Pilipina. But I know that this research will only increase my Ifugao pride, make me more knowledagble about my people and my identity, and give me the tools to help my community in Ifguao, in California, and beyond. I can’t wait to share my experiences with all of you!

Wendy Layco, CSU-LA

I am an undergraduate student at Cal State Los Angeles majoring in anthropology. I was born to Filipino immigrant parents in Los Angeles, CA, but spent most of my childhood in Portland, OR before returning to Southern California. I was introduced to the field of archaeology by my third grade teacher, Ms. Schnacky. I was instantly mesmerized by the ability to study past humans through their material culture. I saw it as a form of time travel, with the ability to bring historic cultures to life. Fascinated by the adventure and mystery behind it, I have always had a sense of wonder and urgency to reconstruct the past as accurately as possible. The sense of wonder hasn’t faded. I currently participate in the Society for Biological Anthropology and the Society for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies. I also volunteer in the California Coastal Archaeology Laboratory examining and analyzing artifacts and ecofacts. I have also spent time in the Forensic Anthropology Laboratory organizing and analyzing osteological remains, which will help me with my research.
            In spring quarter, I enrolled in ANTH 485: Archaeological Analysis. We focused on principles, goals, and methodologies of archaeological analysis and interpretation. During the course, my group sorted and analyzed lithic materials from San Nicolas Island. We created and presented a poster comparing the types of material and technology available at CA-SNI-40 Loci A and B. This experience provided me the opportunity to exercise basic methods and understanding of hands-on collections of data, as well as analyze and interpret prehistoric behavior and technology. The ability to make inferences about human behaviors and subsistence strategies based on patterns was just exhilarating to me. It was as if each of these materials were telling me a story from a prehistoric past.
            This year, I’ve started working with the GABRIELA Women’s Party, a nationwide network of grassroots organizations that address issues such as human rights, poverty, and globalization. GABRIELA has been working diligently to create awareness on the unfair treatment of the indigenous Lumad farmers of Kidapawan, Philippines. Since the Ifugao Archaeological Project is partnered with the Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement, I believe that the work we do this summer will expand my reach in supporting indigenous heritage conservation for the indigenous in the Philippines.
My goal in archaeology has always been to conduct research in the Philippines. My winning a spot on the National Science Foundation – Research for Undergraduates funded Ifugao Archaeological Project this summer was a dream come true.  My research into Philippine history has shown me that much changed during Spanish colonization. I am particularly fascinated with the concept of pericolonialism and hope that my research into neonatal jar burials and supine child burials will provide more insight into the indirect effects of Spanish colonialism on the burial practices. Based on the idea of pericolonialism, we know that human behaviors are changing. If these changes occurred, I theorize that when the Spanish came to the Philippines, major shifts in social, economic, and subsistence strategies occurred. Population increase in the highlands, wet-rice agricultural intensification, and changes in social organization were just a few of the changes that occurred as a result of indirect Spanish influence. I hypothesize that burial practices during that time period shifted as well, because not only did the subsistence and demographics change, but also their social organization. It is my hope that this analysis of neonatal jar burials and supine child burials will provide more evidence of the pericolonial influence with regards to these burial practices.
           I have long been interested in Philippine archaeology and am excited to return to the Philippines. In my first year at Cal State L.A., I have been inducted into the Golden Key International Honour Society, as well as the LAMBDA Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society. I hope to use my research experience this summer to begin the process of becoming a professional archaeologist by presenting at professional meetings and moving into a doctoral program.
           In just a couple of weeks, I will be in my motherland, doing the work I have dreamt about for years. I absolutely cannot wait!

Esther Aguayo

Becoming an archaeologist has been a dream of mine since I was a child. As cheesy as it may sound, I was enraptured with archaeologists on television and film like Jackie Chan Adventures, The Mummy, and of course Indiana Jones. I also consumed all the books and media I could about ancient history and civilization. Ultimately as I got older, the fantasy that these movies created faded and I realized that I would not be chased throughout the world by an ancient organization of ninjas for artifacts; but my passion for archaeology only strengthened as it became more rooted in reality as an academic career.
My journey through academic life has been a turbulent one. I have always known that I wanted to study archaeology, but fears about my aptitude and lack of academic prowess to achieve those dreams lingered and held me back. That was until I took my first anthropology class in community college two years ago. Learning about the field of anthropology revitalized the passion that had ignited so many years ago for archaeology and I immediately switched my major to pursue the career I had only dreamt of. Through Anthropology, I was able to embrace my Chicana heritage, to learn more about my Mexican culture. I was encouraged by a professor to volunteer at the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed Exhibit and became captivated with Maya Archaeology. Volunteering for the Maya exhibit helped me become more knowledgeable about the Maya and I was especially interested in the role that Spanish colonization impacted the indigenous populations in Central America.

Colonization permeates every aspect of our lives and has muddled our own views about our heritage and what it means to be Latin@, and I am fascinated by how these historical events still affect us as a population to this day. My fascination with colonization is what led me to the Ifugao Archaeological Project; I gravitated to this project when I saw that it was studying the effects of Spanish colonization on the indigenous population in the Philippines. My interest in Spanish colonization has been largely due to the impact they had on the lives of the indigenous American population. I would love to learn about the lives and experiences of the Ifugao Community in the past and how it still affects them to this day. With this project, I hope we can collaborate with the Ifugao community to learn more about their history and the impact that the rice terraces and colonization have had on their lives.
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With hands-on training in the field, I hope to attain a well-rounded skill set in archaeological field methods as most of my experience has been in the lab. In my academic career I have become very familiar with recording, photographing, measuring, and matching faunal remains that have been excavated from various archaeological sites in San Diego. I have also worked with Late Classic Maya pot sherds in an Artifact Analysis class and I have learned about Historical Archaeological methods as well. Working for the IAP will provide invaluable information and skills that I need in order to further my career in Archaeology. I am grateful that I was one of the students chosen by the National Science Foundation to participate in the project and it is an honor to be able to contribute to such important research on this World Heritage Site! In the future, I plan on earning my doctorate so that when I establish my career, I can run projects similar to the IAP in order to learn more about the livelihood of the ancient Maya through zooarchaeology and share my passion for archaeology and anthropology by teaching future university students. Participating in such a wonderful project is a significant opportunity to better myself and prepare for my future in Archaeology; and I will forever be indebted to the NSF-REU and IAP for making my dream a reality. 

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