Subaquatic archeology, one of my dreamed jobs

As a late 3rd post, I want to share with you one of the archeology areas that I were knowing lately, the underwater archeology. As 2nd year anthropology students we gotta to choose the next semester, in July approx, our elective courses to specialize ourselves in the following years of the degree, as social or physical anthropologists or as archeologists. There´s the option of doing a 'secundary specialization', but that implies one year and a half to graduate approx.

Well, I want to be an archeologist, as the title sugests haha, and the area related to the sea, or the water bodies like rivers, subterranean waters, lakes, cenotes and more... just motivates me to be a scuba-archeologist. I love and respect a lot the water, as a natural phenomena wich can take human lives without mercy and as a world where the most remote things, especially human made, and unknown animal species are hidden and can be discovered by us.

 

In simply words, the wide archeology works with human materialities from the past or objects (organic or not) that could show or denote human interaction. So with this objects, the archeologist can create a 'translation' of them and bringing or approaching to the people, the meanings, historical charge, patrimonial senses, narratives, familiar legacy, origins of those objects and more. 

I would like to work as a scuba-archeologist so I can enjoy one of my favorite things to do, flow with the water, swimming, see with my own eyes the beauty of the natural waters and their enviroments, this is why I would like it also jaja. And, talking as a student and as an aspirant to be a proffesional agent of the society, I would try to contribute to this chilean society and help my people and the persons I interact with as a community. Because as chileans and human beings whom are part of social relations with other communities and nations (inside Chile), like mapuche, changos, latin american brothers and more... we got our own 'knowledge corpus' and we interact with a diversity of this corpuses, considering inside those a history, cosmology, techniques to work the natural resources, narratives, linguistic system and more... And this can be materialized in objects, mummies, bones, plants, ceramics, minerals, etc...

So, with this idea of human history and knowledge materialized in multiple materiality and/or organic forms, me, as a future archeologist, I can or could help and contribute to its patrimonial care, valoration and preservation. This, understanding that the diversity of present communities in Chile has a form to provide us any contribution to be a better nation wich is in constant change and development🙏 and, for this case, that contribution can have a materiality form.

Finally, I think the principal skills we need as future archeologists are the capability of being organized haha we gotta work with a lot of objects, so they need to be classified and registered in their respective areas. Also, is important, if you or I wants to be scuba-archeologist, the physical preparation and training to be a scuba diver, because it´s not that simple of 'go and dive to your first prospection'. Finally, between the immense required skills to be a great archeologist I consider the most important one is that related to social skills, because we'll work with people after all, not just objects or organic materialities. So, we need to be more assertive with people as well as with ourselves and we need to be available for and with people as well as with ourselves (available to do this type of job)... 

And much more... but that's what this academic and personal journey is for, to mold us as change agents, persons, and future professionals :)