seascapes & epistemologies

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!

I spent the day catching up with family, spending time with my dogs, and reading some foundational texts in Indigenous studies. Here is a short list of some wonderful Indigenous scholars & activists to read on this & every day!

• Trask, Haunani-Kay. From a Native Daughter : Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaiʻi. Rev. ed., University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1999, https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824847029.

• Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass : Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. First edition., Milkweed Editions, 2013.

• Osorio, Jamaica Heolimeleikalani. Remembering Our Intimacies : Moʻolelo, Aloha ʻāina, and Ea. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2021.

• Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. Decolonizing Methodologies : Research and Indigenous Peoples. Second edition, Zed Books, 2012.

• Walter, Maggie, et al., editors. Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Policy. Routledge, 2021, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429273957.

• Tuck, Eve, and K. Wayne Yang. “Decolonization Is Not a Metaphor.” Decolonization : Indigeneity, Education & Society, vol. 1, no. 1, 2012, pp. 1–40.

• Whyte, Kyle. “Indigenous Climate Change Studies: Indigenizing Futures, Decolonizing the Anthropocene.” English Language Notes, vol. 55, no. 1–2, 2017, pp. 153–62, https://doi.org/10.1215/00138282-55.1-2.153.

• TallBear, Kimberly. Native American DNA : Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science. University of Minnesota Press, 2013.

☆Wednesday, October 9th, Week 2 ☆

Week 2 is halfway over & I'm starting to feel like I'm settling into my new classes and research. I also picked up a TA position, so I'll actually be making the standard amount rather than the reduced rate I was getting last year.

So far the workload has been manageable despite my chronic illness, but I did have to walk out of a meeting today because they didn't provide disability accommodations & I was having a flare up that almost made me pass out. I went to PT afterward, and she congratulated me on sticking up for myself & recognizing my pain. So, all in all, it was a win. I made some big decisions this past week over the trajectory of my research and who I do and do not want to work with, so I'm also proud of myself for sticking to those boundaries.

Focus for the fall quarter:

• Archaeology core class

• Bioremediation research

• TA for environmental archaeology

• GSR for the Human Ecology Lab

☆ October 1st, 2024 ☆

Week 1 is already hitting me hard. Thankfully, Wednesdays are my days for doctors appointments and recharging. It was a super busy last couple of days, and all the KT tape is barely holding me together, I definitely need a rest, but man, there were some gorgeous views along the way :)

This week's to do list:

Readings for archaeological theory

Readings for geoarchaeology

☆ Week 0 recap ☆

Week 0 is finally over & I'm already exhausted 🫠🙃 although I have to admit I'm liking the second year of my PhD much better than my 1st. I'm spending more time in the labs & more time at the beach. I'm revising my first paper for publishing & working as an assistant to one of the most badass women I've ever met. We talked about my research plans for bioremediation & eDNA analysis and she was very excited to help me put together a team for sample collection & get my things in order to apply for funding. Compared to the nightmare I had last year, I'm fairing much better this year, even with my health issues.

My main class this year is archaeological theory and methods, which I'm very excited for because it will give me a chance to write out a field work proposal that I can actually use for grants. Beyond that, I'm going through the geoarchaeology syllabus and following along in the book since I can't be in the actual class due to time constraints. Most of my time is taken up by research though, which is definitely how I prefer it.

☆ Wednesdays child is full of woe ☆

Tomorrow is the first day of classes & for the last 24 hours, I've been dealing with the worst craniofacial pain I've ever felt thanks to my EDS. After lots of meds, ice, and a trip to the PT for taping and massage, I'm somewhat feeling better & just hoping I can make it through the rest of the week 🫠

Tomorrow is archaeology core, then to the genetics lab to finish working on manuscript revisions. We have to submit those by next week, but we're almost finished, so I'm hoping to submit it by Friday. Then, we can celebrate getting our first paper published!

Listening to: Fiona Apple - extraordinary machine 🎧