It Takes A Village, or Perhaps an Island: Public Archaeology in Bermuda
Author(s): Rhiannon M Flaig
Year: 2025
Summary
Public participation and accessibility have been a key component of the Smith's Island Archaeology Project since 2012. The importance of Bermudian volunteers goes far beyond merely recruiting extra sets of hands. Partnering with the Bermuda National Trust, SIAP employs multiple strategies of public participation; ranging from real-time blogging, hosting school tours, and training local volunteers in field and lab work. Involvement in researching Bermuda's past has encouraged locals to explore their own heritage. Because many Bermudians are not formally taught their own history in school, SIAP has become an important constituent of Bermudian self-discovery. SIAP has inspired at least three participants to pursue archaeology careers, and can serve as a model for multi-fronted community heritage engagement.
Cite this Record
It Takes A Village, or Perhaps an Island: Public Archaeology in Bermuda. Rhiannon M Flaig. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2025 ( tDAR id: 508967)
Keywords
General
Archaeology
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heritage
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public
Geographic Keywords
Bermuda
Spatial Coverage
min long: -64.78; min lat: 32.278 ; max long: -64.677; max lat: 32.379 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Nicole Haddow