Author: Sasha Joura
Joura, Sasha, 2024 Buoyed by community: Combining local knowledge and maritime archaeology on Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand , Flinders University, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
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This thesis presents a novel approach for maritime archaeology in Australasia. It combines community archaeology practices with maritime archaeology research in the remote location of Stewart Island/Rakiura, New Zealand. It establishes that methods of community engagement that go beyond teaching and training are underdeveloped in maritime archaeology in the region and contributes a new regional approach for working with local communities that was successful elsewhere. It utilises the Communities of Practice framework and the methodology of ‘crowd sourcing’ knowledge from residents, based on the hypothesis that members of the local community are the knowledge experts in their location. This is especially the case in remote areas that may not be visited by archaeologists very often. Collection of data from interviews with 18 participating community members has generated new information on submerged and intertidal sites of European or Pākehā origin, contributing to a richer and broader perspective of the maritime archaeology of Stewart Island/Rakiura. It offers two specific case studies that demonstrate the potential for reciprocal learning between local communities and archaeologists using this methodology. This thesis provides compelling evidence of how local communities and maritime archaeologists can collaborate towards a result where both parties benefit with new knowledge. The study suggests that this method could be applied successfully to other remote, inhabited settings.
Keywords: maritime archaeology, community archaeology, New Zealand
Subject: Archaeology thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Supervisor: John McCarthy