Unearthing Guyana’s buried past

For anthropologist Louisa Daggers, squishing her fingers in gooey mud and between skeletal remains is not a problem. The excitement of unearthing aeons of Guyana’s prehistory just adds to the thrill of her job.

Anthropology and archaeology have always been second nature to Louisa. It was an interest she developed since childhood. “I spent my weekends looking at National Geographic and documentaries. This interest was further fuelled by my continuous visits to museums with my family. Because of this I excelled in school, especially in the field of Social Studies and History. This interest was always lingering and came to life once per week with National Geographic. It was not until the beginning of my university life that I learnt of the archaeological activities in Guyana. In 2008, I decided to participate in the Denis William Summer School in Archaeology an introductory programme facilitated by the Walter Roth Museum, the University of Guyana and Boise State University. It was at this point that I became much more aware and sensitive to culture and history since it encompasses these aspects,” she related in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.
The young Louisa attended Mon Repos Primary School and the International Business College, and later earned a Master of Art Degree from Boise State University Idaho, US. She also graduated with a Master of Applied Anthropology (MAA). In addition, Louisa has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Guyana and completed the “Human Subjects Training CITI Program” (2012) at the UM Miller School of Medicine in Miami; she is certified to work and conduct research on human subjects. Louisa holds a diploma in Project Management from Edexcel, UK.
She has functioned in various roles at multiple excavations internationally and locally, and served as Crew Chief supervising students at Glens Ferry Excavation (focusing on Snake River Archaeology, Boise Idaho). She taught at the Dennis Williams Archaeology Field School facilitated by Boise State University and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, and preliminary survey techniques at the Berbice River along with George Simon and Mark Donup.
Additionally, Louisa was responsible for excavation and documentation of the site at the Siriki shell mound. It was also supervised by Dr Mark Plew and Chris Wilson, and facilitated by Boise State University and the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology. Over the past years Louisa has been supervising and surveying other archaeological sites with local and international teams of archaeologists.

Archaeological sites
Louisa points out that predictive models are sometimes used to determine possible locations of events or activities; these models use statistical approaches to measure probability. They are usually mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to highlight the potential of encountering an archaeological site. In situations where these maps or models are not available, archaeologists depend greatly on historic documentations of landscapes or events, or sometime on ethnographic accounts of similar activities.
“Archaeological excavation involves the use of statistical methods of calculating height, distance and elevation of landscapes. It involves rigorous documentation, record keeping and photographing of cultural materials, soils, and biological and burial remains if encountered and unit levels. The process also evolves accuracy and meticulous handling of materials including soils that are intended for processing and testing in order to produce acceptable publications. In a technologically driven world it is also necessary to have expertise in GPS and GIS software for mapping and documentation,” outlined Louisa.

Most exciting digs
Although she has to work hard and long during and after excavations, Louisa enjoys a sense of accomplishment when she unearths centuries of history. Her most exciting excavation in Guyana has been the Siriki shell mound (See pg2) because it was one of the mounds documented in the 1960’s and was rediscovered recently. Louisa mentioned that the mound has extraordinary potential for continuous research since it is one of the few archaeological sites in the Amazonia that is capable of preserving biological material to facilitate scientific analysis and testing.
After the excavation of this site, Louisa departed Guyana for Boise State University where she was able to work along with archaeologist Dr. Mark Plew and bio-archaeologist Margret Streeter in analyzing the materials excavated for the purpose of documentation and publication.

Looking to the future of excavating our past
Louisa’s plan for this growing field is to first focus on preservation and cultural resource management (CRM). She intends to initiate the development of formative approaches and policies necessary to aid in the protection of the nation’s resources. However, she also hopes to continue on an academic trajectory with aims of conducting extensive anthropological research for the purpose of facilitating future researchers and documentation.
Discussing her plans for developing an interest in archaeology here, Louisa said she has come to the realization that as global organisations continue to tread the path towards historic preservation and conservation, the growing need for public awareness emerges. She added that the move towards the development of archaeology, especially in developing countries such as Guyana, could only be achieved through the implementation and use of effective awareness tools targeting the general public. It is her expectation to introduce additional events and programmes that have the potential of attracting and influencing both youths and adults allowing them to explore and or unlock their hidden potential in the field of history, conservation and archaeology, since this is the only way of preserving our tangible and intangible heritage for our future generations.
“Archaeology, being the science involved in the study of past human activities through the analysis of material cultural and eco-facts, is a remarkable field to expose students to. This is largely because it introduces them to an unknown world, with immense knowledge of the past, and helps us to understand and appreciate history and the present a bit more,” she expressed.
Louisa currently serves as the anthropological officer at the Walter Roth Museum in Georgetown, and is responsible for education and public awareness, field surveys and excavation and the analysis and documentation of archaeological materials for future scholarly publications.