Panelists: Teddy Baguilat (Indigenous Conserved Communities Areas); Awi Mona (National Taiwan University); Claire Charter (University of Auckland)
Moderator: Marcelle Burns (University of New England)

November 4, 2020, 6:00 PM (PDT) / November 5, 2020, 10:00 AM (TWN)


Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and Empowerment

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was ratified in 2007. It was a product of a long and slow process that started in 1982 with the establishment of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. A draft declaration was submitted in 1994, which became the basis for several state parties establishing statutes on the rights of Indigenous populations. In the Asia Pacific, countries that have a long history of colonialism adopted measures to provide some form of redress to the injustices received by Indigenous groups. These statutes were based on the 1994 draft declaration, which predated the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as local regulations. In this panel, we discuss various issues that Indigenous groups have experienced since the ratification of Indigenous Peoples rights laws in different countries. We provide examples from Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Taiwan, and Cambodia. The panel discusses how these laws have empowered Indigenous groups and how the lessons from the last 20 years could help strengthen these statutes.

For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.

Dr. Ziad Al-Saad
PhD, Professor of cultural heritage conservation and management at the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology Yarmouk University
Friday October 30th, 11:00am - 12:00pm (PT)

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Petra has been classified as being of World Heritage standards and is included on the world heritage list.The entire site of Petra, with its 2000 listed rock-carved monuments of outstanding cultural and historical importance, is in real danger. Over the last decade the process of deterioration of the Petra monuments has dramatically increased. The destruction of the monuments is induced by a combination of natural and human factors. Weathering and erosion caused by environmental agents have caused a lot of severe damage to the monuments. The impact of weathering and eroding factors on the monumentshave been exacerbated by natural faults in the rock; infiltration of water and growth of plants in rock fissures. In addition to natural damage, cultural and socio-economic factors represent a principle threat to the integrity of the site. It is quite obvious that the monuments of Petra need an urgent care. If the deterioration processes are allowed to continue, this irreplaceable heritage will disappear and tourism, which centers on these monuments, will diminish. It is of no doubt that the conservation and preservation of Petra monuments is a very challenging and difficult task. The complexity of the situation is apparent and the efforts needed are tremendous. Different types of preventive and remedialmeasures are needed to be adopted and executed in order to control the fast growing threats faced by the monuments. Although preventive measures to arrest the principal causes of weathering by adopting certain actions such as repairing the ancient Nabateans hydrological system, certain remedialsteps seem to be inevitable. The fragile monuments are in bad need for consolidation to be able to resist the threat of the natural weathering. This task is the main aim of a research project that has been conducted by the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University in cooperation with the Bavarian State Conservation Laboratories.

Prof. Ziad Al-Saad, Professor of cultural heritage conservation and management at the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology Yarmouk University; Obtained Ph.D. in conservation and archaeometry from University of London in 1992. He served as Chair of Department of Archaeology in the period 1994-1999 then became the Director of the Insitutue of Archaeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University which he managed to transform into a full-fledged faculty in 1999 and became its first Dean for two terms until 2007. He then moved to the newly established German-Jordanian University as Vice President for Academic affairs for two years and led the university strategic planning and quality assurance programs for two years. In 2010 he returned to Yarmouk University as Vice President for Research and International Affairs. He was then appointed by the Cabinet as Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan until the end of 2011 when he returned to Yarmouk University.
Prof. Al-Saad's research interest generally is in the areas of conservation and scientific analysis of archaeological materials with a particular interest in the conservation and stabilization of archaeological finds especially metallic artifacts and stone monuments. Has been actively involved in the preservation and conservation of spectacular stone-carved monuments of the Nabatean city of Petra.

Dr. Christine Lee,  Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, California State Los Angeles
Wednesday, October 28th, 12:00pm - 1:00pm PT

Four archaeological sites along the western frontier of China and Mongolia were analyzed for cranial trauma patterns. These patterns were then used to determine levels of violence, who were the participants, and if certain individuals were singled out as specific targets. In ancient times all of these sites were connected by the Silk Road. The sample from Yingpan (206 BC-420 AD), Yanghai (475 BC-220AD), Nileke (550-221 BC), and Chandman (700-400BC) totaled 275 individuals. Yingpan and Yanghai were agricultural oasis states in the Tarim Basin. Nileke and Chandman were nomadic pastoralists located along the Altai mountains. Trauma was recorded for location on the skull, type (blunt force, sharp force, or high velocity), and cause (interpersonal, warfare, or other). The total population percentages for trauma were Yingpan 27%, Yanghai 23%, Chandman 15%, and Nileke 20%. However, this does not give an accurate picture of the level of daily violence experienced. The likelihood of an individual experiencing a violent episode causing death or disability was highest at Chandman and the lowest at Yingpan. So how a population and it’s individuals were the perpetrators or victims of aggression needs closer examination. One site has an unusual pattern where men, women and children have broken noses. Two sites have evidence of trephination or surgery after devastating sword blows or high velocity projectiles. There is one incidence of scalping. Finally several individual had their noses cut off. This intentional mutilation of the face was a capital punishment at the time. This talk will explore what were the social and cultural factors which could have caused these specific patterns.

Register for this Cotsen Virtual Pizza Talk here! You will receive instructions on viewing the talk after registering. 

Panelists: Tarcisius Kabutaulaka (University of Hawaii-Manoa), John Peterson (University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines); Britton Shepardson (Terevaka Archaeological Outreach 501(c)(3)); Beno Atan (Metropolitan Touring Ecuador)
Moderator: Jason Throop (UCLA)

Wednesday October 21, 7:00 PM (PDT) / Thurs October 22, 10:00 AM (TWN)

Webinar Series: Indigenous Peoples, Heritage and Landscape in the Asia Pacific: Knowledge Co-Production, Policy Change, and Empowerment

The histories and identities of Pacific Islanders have been drastically supplanted by Euro-centric narratives because of centuries of colonization. Archaeological work and community stories are helping to rethink these narratives through Pacific historiography. Using examples from the Solomon Islands, Easter Island, and Pohnpei, the panel discusses how community stories are helping to regain what was lost because of colonial imposition.

For more information about the event and panelists, visit the event site.