Six students from the University of Guyana (UG) have completed “an adventurous course in archaeology” at Fairview in Region Eight.
In a press release the Government Information Agency (GINA) said the students: Diana Fernandes, Sheena Mark, Latoya Farinha, Lashanna Lillia, Louisa Daggers and Shebana Daniel were drawn from the Environmental Science and Tourism fields. Administrator at the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology and former officer of the Amerindian Research Unit at UG Jennifer Wishart also attended the programme.
In a simple ceremony hosted at the Museum, Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony bestowed certificates on the students for their participation.
The programme has entered its second year and is a collaborative effort of the ministry, UG and the Archaeology Summer Field School at Boise State University. The School’s Director Dr Mark Plew “has been making a valuable contribution to local archaeology while working in Guyana for a number of years,” GINA said.
In his address, Anthony said Guyana has a proud archaeological history. “It is very fascinating that we have this rich history and we still don’t know it. I think we know more about other civilizations than we know of our own,” he added. The minister said archaeology and anthropology can be further developed with more people participating and learning about the procedures involved.
This can be achieved by persuading people to develop a love for collections and turning the museum into a more welcoming environment.
In his address UG Professor Al Creighton congratulated Wishart who is still working to develop archaeological and indigenous artefacts. He said although the course is in its fledgling stage in Guyana it has enormous potential and can be further developed to attract a larger number of students with funding. Creighton said he hopes that the partnership will strengthen among the universities and the Museum noting that the programme exists at two campuses at the University of the West Indies. “I am sure there are avenues that we can walk down for the expansion of the programme and that is why I have this particular interest in seeing further work done,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fernandes who has been a participant in the course since it started said it was both challenging and educational. She said she gained a wealth of experience about pottery and various aspects of Amerindian culture. Fernandes said through the course she has been privileged to pass on her knowledge of Amerindian history and archaeology to trainees at Iwokrama.
She also indicated an interest in participating in the course next year.
