Heritage Voices · The Archaeology Podcast Network

Bolivar Archaeological Project, Part One - Ep 99

·1 hr 3 min·5 clips

Jessica Uquinto opens the episode by introducing Heritage Voices and the Bolivar Archaeological Project. She also offers a land acknowledgement before bringing in the guests. Maria Franklin, Doug Boyd, and Alex Meneker each introduce themselves and their roles. The conversation settles quickly into the project’s collaborative structure. Doug explains that the work developed with input from all four core collaborators from the start. The team first asked whether the project should even move forward. They then worked through who should be involved, what themes mattered, and what questions to ask. That planning included a mini workshop on oral history methodology. The workshop was held on Zoom. The group met weekly to shape the interview approach. COVID initially made in-person work seem uncertain. By summer 2022, the interviews could happen in person in Denton. Haley and Howard, who had some training, also served as interviewers. The team interviewed eight individuals. Those interviews yielded about 22 hours of audio. The recordings were transcribed and archived with the University of North Texas. The report process is still moving through feedback. Haley and Howard have also been involved in commenting on the draft report. Doug describes the work as mutually beneficial for everyone involved. The episode keeps returning to process. It shows how oral history can be built through partnership rather than extraction. It also shows how reporting depends on shared review and correction. The tone stays warm and measured throughout, with plenty of room for careful explanation without losing the thread. A follow-up episode is promised for next month.

As heard by us

A careful look at archaeology as a collaborative practice, not just a finished result.

The episode follows the Bolivar Archaeological Project as a study in how archaeology gets done, not just what it turns up. Maria Franklin, Doug Boyd, and Alex Meneker walk through the work from oral history method and question design to interviews, transcription, archiving, and…

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Why you'd press play

A collaborative look at how archaeology teams build oral history from the ground up.

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