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Foundation

New Skills: A Journey into the Past through Archaeology

The activity, which took place in the city of Winterthur, aimed to provide both a practical and theoretical approach to archaeology as a tool to understand and reconnect with the past.

Last weekend, the representative of the Kawésqar People’s Foundation, Francisco González, had the opportunity to participate in a rewarding archaeological experience alongside two distinguished scientists from the Thurgau Museum of Archaeology in Switzerland: PD Dr. habil. Urs Leuzinger, director of the museum, and Dr. Phil. Maria Kolp-Godoy Allende, a Chilean bioarchaeologist and scientific researcher. The activity, which took place in the city of Winterthur, aimed to provide both a practical and theoretical approach to archaeology as a tool to understand and reconnect with the past.


This encounter allowed the Kawésqar representative to learn first-hand about the methods and principles of this science. Under the guidance of Urs Leuzinger, an expert in lithic tools, he had the opportunity to learn how to draw stone tools on graph paper, a fundamental exercise in archaeological documentation and the interpretation of the past through material traces and artifacts. This detailed process not only highlights the importance of precision in recording ancient artifacts but also how these objects play a crucial role in the reconstruction of the cultural history of peoples.


Dr. Maria Kolp-Godoy Allende, with her extensive experience in community archaeology, shared her knowledge of this discipline, which she has applied in recent projects in Peru. Community archaeology is an approach to research and preservation conducted "with and for" the communities, placing collaboration and respect for their traditional knowledge at the core. This type of archaeology not only seeks to study the past but to do so in a way that directly benefits the involved communities, strengthening their cultural identity and sense of belonging to their land.


Furthermore, work has been proposed to design a field guide for "future archaeologists," with the intention that Kawésqar children may participate in archaeological activities next summer in Patagonia. This project aims to engage younger generations with the science of archaeology, sparking an interest in their cultural heritage and fostering knowledge of their ancestral history from an early age.


The images accompanying this article capture significant moments of the activity: one shows the two archaeologists with the Foundation’s representative, while the other illustrates the process of drawing stone tools, carried out under the supervision of expert Urs Leuzinger.

Francisco González

7 de octubre de 2024, 10:00:00

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