*Very* cool! Can you talk about what it is they're working on?

Definitely I can talk about it. That's one of the things I *love* -- it's all about sharing information. I can't tell you how different that is from the last two places I worked.

CARI has several sites working right now. The largest and most promising is the first plantation ever in Texas, the Bernardo Plantation. They have an active dig in Freedman's Town that the Rice Field Methods Class is helping to dig.

Both of the principals are particularly interested in documenting African American history in the region as fleshing out our understanding of the African diaspora. (One of the principals, Carol McDavid is a recognized expert in this area.) I'm really excited about this because the Bernardo Plantation has mega-huge Texas history associated with it (it's where Sam Houston took delivery of the Twin Sisters). The Texas military bunked in the slave quarters during the Texas Revolution. Happily, the dig will not be ignoring the history of the slaves in favor of the sexier military stuff, as has often happened in the past.

Anyhow, ultimately the purpose is to document a comprehensive history of both those who "made history" and those who did all the work that made history. The emphasis is particularly on involving the community and sharing what we learn and the process. The foundation also takes on smaller side jobs as needed, but happily they do not constrict their work to an artificially defined area as often happened when I worked in Cultural Resources Management, which is the commercial side of archaeology.

From the discussion, I got the impression that the foundation is a lot more like working in academia than in the marketplace. Now, if they can just have enough work and money so that I can afford to *live* off of what the money (and by that, I mean pay my bills, my insurance premiums, a retirement account...all those things I have to keep in mind at age 41.)

ETA: I forgot to mention the other really exiting thing about Bernardo -- there have been Clovis points and mammoth found not too far down the river so there's a serious chance of encountering the world that makes MY blood sing: paleoindian!

Edited 2010-02-19 01:47 pm (UTC)

WOW! Talk about a dream come true! This is so COOL! You have *got* to keep us all updated if you end up with this position. :-)

It is! So long as I can afford to live. :)