HAHS Lab

Historical Archaeology and Heritage Studies Laboratory

Another thing I do is serve as the director of the Historical Archaeology and Heritage Studies Laboratory at The University of Tulsa. This lab officially opened on January 17, 2018 as the newest lab in the anthropology department. Here we explore the material remains of diasporic communities in the past, with a specific focus on artifacts connected to African heritage within the context of both enslavement and freedom. Studying the material culture and heritage of marginalized communities continues to be a growing field as archaeologists seek to understand the effects of colonization and displacement among African/African American, Asian, Indigenous, and many other populations that were forced to leave their homelands in the name of European conquest and colonization. Using historic artifacts and documentary evidence as a base for scientific inquiry, this lab seeks to investigate cultural change, adaptation, and resistance as well as comparative studies in heritage to bring to light the story of communities and individuals left out of the history books. Through the objects left behind we can ensure that diasporic communities and their descendants, scattered across various corners of the earth are never forgotten. 

**Now our lab is partially DAACS Certified**

DAACS Certification in Ceramics – Complete

DAACS Certification in Glass – Complete

DAACS Certification in Small Finds – Scheduled for May 2021

(Delayed due to COVID-19)

Collections in progress

Christianste National Historic Site – Christiansted, St. Croix

(Loan from National Park Service)

Estate Little Princess – Christiansted, St. Croix

Greenwood Centennial Resource Collection – Tulsa, OK

Free Gut Collection – Frederiksted, St. Croix

Current Student Projects

Free Gut Archaeology Project – Gabrielle Miller, PhD Student

Archaeology of Racial Violence – Nkem Ike, PhD Student

Virgin Islands Ritual Archaeology Project – Rukiya Andrews, MA Student