On Thursday, November 21 at 3:30 pm in Hibben 105, Dr. Dr. Britton Shepardson of the Terevaka Foundation will present his talk Axioarchaeology as part of the Anthropology Colloquia Series.

Dr. Shepardson is Director and Founder of the Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) Program, in association with Explora Hotels offering innovative educational outreach to high schoolers in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile, and Peru. Shepardson is a noted scholar on the archaeology of Rapa Nui where he has mapped and documented moai statues on the island. He’s published in both English and Spanish, the book, Moai: A New Look at Old Faces. 

The Terevaka Foundation currently provides experiential education programs at no cost for Indigenous and rural high-school aged students at four different locations: Rapa Nui (Chile); San Pedro de Atacama (Chile); Patagonia National Park; and the Sacred Valley (Perú). The long-term success of Terevaka, a US-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, provides anecdotal evidence for the potential and importance of bridging the chasm between academic and community interests in anthropological archaeology. A critical examination of the 20+ year evolution of the Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) program helps us to reevaluate the priorities of traditional archaeological programming. Working backwards through the program’s trial-and-error approach to community outreach demonstrates that a broader view of the value of archaeology not only creates a more inclusive environment but also helps to strengthen the roles of anthropologists/archaeologists in sustainable development.