Anthropology Department Presents: “Geophysical Surveys of Southern Pacific Northwest Coast Plankhouses"

Please join the Department of Anthropology and Gabriel M. Sanchez for the Colloquium Series talk: "Geophysical Surveys of Southern Pacific Northwest Coast Plankhouses." Geophysical and remote sensing surveys of Pacific Northwest Coast plankhouses, sweathouses, and other architectural features have been a growing component of Pacific Northwest Coast archaeological studies. Most of these studies have focused on coastal plankhouses with associated shell middens, especially in British Columbia. Limited geophysical examples exist of Pacific Northwest Coast architectural features from the southern region, including Northern California and Oregon, especially in riverine settings. In this study, we integrate ground penetrating radar and magnetic gradiometry to document subsurface features in collaboration with the Tsnungwe Council. Our findings, based on our interpretations of the observed data, document subsurface features ranging from ~2 m wide pits to large rectangular plankhouses ~6 m wide and 12 m in length. These houses contain central subterranean pits, which contain a hearth, that are ~5 m wide. Our findings support the interpretation of a large multicomponent village site with several plankhouses present, providing a unique example of southern Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous architecture. Sanchez is an Indigenous Anthropologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology and affiliated faculty in Latinx and Native American and Indigenous Studies. Gabriel completed his graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2019. From 2019-2021, he was part of the inaugural cohort College of Social Science Dean’s Research Associate (postdoc) Program at Michigan State University, which aims to promote inclusive excellence in the academy. From 2021-2022, he served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State, before joining the UO. Currently, he is the director of the Coastal Archaeology, Ancient Proteomics, and Zooarchaeology laboratories. He also directs the Collaborative Archaeology Field School. Sanchez currently participates in a collaborative and community-based participatory research projects in California and Oregon with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Tsnungwe Council, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

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