Erin Burfield (2026)
Never Disappeared: Ethics and the Collaborative Reclamation of Ancestral Places
With the support of the Stronach Prize, Erin will be continuing and expanding work done during undergraduate studies. Using geophysics instruments, she studies known and suspected archaeological sites to identify sites, mark areas of most concern for anthropogenic impact, and expand understanding of these sites. She predominantly works with local tribal councils and mentors to identify a variety of features to expand tribal access to sites, create plans to preserve sites, and further tribal goals with explorations of Ancestral Spaces. These geophysics instruments are able to further tribal goals of community engagement, education, and access without traditional site excavation.
Additionally, during the course of her undergraduate work, Erin realized there was a gap in available resources for undergraduate students to ethically engage in Ancestral Spaces and tribal partners. With this in mind, she will also be working with mentors to create a resource guide for future undergraduates and advocate for ethical, community-based archeological work.
Biography
Erin is a recent graduate with a BA in Anthropology. Her work has included historical era Gold Rush sites in Northern California, as well as sites of varying periods with Indigenous communities throughout Northern California and the Central Coast. She was able to work with the Geoarchaeology and Southwest Asia Prehistory (GEOSWAP) and Bear Bones labs conducting research with a variety of undergraduate and graduate students, professors from multiple departments and universities, and community partners.
In Summer 2025, Erin was able to participate in an archaeological dig in Greece with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.
Her honors thesis focused on geophysics in archaeology, community engagement, and archaeological praxis.
