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Fulbright Program for U.S. Students

Fulbright U.S. Student
Grantee Newsletter

Issue 21 | September 2009

Unearthing History and Capturing Magical Tales
table of contents

 Program Updates

Building Community Archaeology in Antigua

by Samantha A. Rebovich, 2008-2009, Antigua and Barbuda

"Most kids will ask questions about what you’re finding," Announcer Kim Derrick said as I sat down in front of a microphone.  Despite my misgivings, I had been convinced to be a guest on “Our House,” a children’s program on Antigua’s Observer Radio.  I consented to being on the show because Dr. Murphy, my mentor at Antigua National Parks, argued it would be the best way to build community interest in my Fulbright project.  I conducted archaeological research at Green Castle Estate, a sugar plantation operated during the 18th and 19th centuries.  Through excavations of areas inhabited by enslaved and wage laborers, I compared the lives of laborers in Antigua during these two time periods.

Samantha A. Rebovich, 2008-2009, Antigua 
Samantha A. Rebovich, 2008-2009, Antigua and Barbuda (right), digging on her excavation site  
I have always found archaeology to be particularly challenging to explain to people.  Most people have an idea of what archaeology is from popular media and culture, and the challenge lies in breaking through those stereotypes.  Though Indiana Jones and I share a disdain for snakes, the similarities end there.  Instead of searching for rare and beautiful treasures, I search for the remains of daily life: usually bits of pottery, glass and metal.  I find it even more difficult to explain to people that being an historical archaeologist means excavating to study a time period for which there are written records.  Still, people tend to come around once I explain how excavations are conducted, what types of artifacts are unearthed and the information that can be gleaned from seemingly scant evidence.

One of the most valuable lines of evidence for the research I conducted is a locally produced ceramic referred to regionally as Afro-Caribbean ware.  Enslaved laborers imported from Africa brought a tradition of pottery making and, as Caribbean cultures developed, these ceramics took on new shapes, forms, and functions.  While these ceramics are a regional phenomenon, most islands develop unique styles.  The Antiguan wares have been understudied in comparison with those from other islands.  Remarkably, these wares are still produced today in a village named Sea View Farm.  This allows for an examination of these wares in the past and an ongoing study of their importance in Antiguan culture today.

“What is the most exciting thing you’ve found?” a caller predictably asked about artifacts unearthed in my research.

“Well,” I began, “it might not seem exciting, but I am always happy to find a piece of Afro-Antiguan pottery because it was made on the island, made by the people who lived here and must have been very important because they used it every day.” 

After surviving my hour on the radio, I settled back into my research.  A few days later, Dr. Murphy called with some news.  He had received inquiries from the Historical Society and several teachers at local schools about my research and the possibility of bringing school groups to visit the site.  I smiled and said, “I hope we find something good when they come to visit.” 

To comment on Samantha A. Rebovich's article on State Alumni, please click here.   



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Studying Magical Tales and Expressive Arts Along the Silk Road

by Lanlan Kuang, 2008-2009, China

China’s Northwest has been an important region where the exchange between Eastern and Western cultures has taken place for thousands of years.  Unsurprisingly, this land is full of magical tales from the different ethnic groups that dwell on the rich, abundant soil including China’s autonomous regions of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia.  Some were passed down orally through a few people, found only in historical texts or at occasional story-telling events.  Others were enriched by the region's archeological findings that became world-renowned over the years: the 3,800-year-old female mummy (circa 1600 BCE) from Loulan, one of the oldest mummies in the world, or the bronze statue hidden in a brick tomb during the late period of the East-Han Dynasty (A.D.25-220) named, literally, “A Galloping Horse's Hoof Stepped on a Flying Swallow” - now an iconic national treasure.  This land is where the most ancient and advanced technological Chinese cultures assembled and presented: it is where the earliest iron-making technology from West Xia dynasty was founded; it is also where the recently piloted space shuttle launched from China’s Jiuquan Space Center.  Today, some of these tales are recreated and staged in different forms of expressive culture, such as dance dramas, for audiences in China and around the globe.

Lanlan Kuang, 2008-2009, China 
Lanlan Kuang, 2008-2009, China (right in red scarf), working with a colleague to film a performance   
In September 2008, I traveled on my Fulbright grant along the ancient Silk Road with colleagues from Lanzhou University’s Dunhuang Institute and two professors from Beijing and Shannxi Province.  The focus of my ethnomusicological investigation is the Dunhuang yuewu, a genre of music, dance, and dramatic performances historically derived from and located in Northwest China.  As a graduate researcher who would like to devote her career to studying and presenting the expressive arts from East Asia, I offered suggestions to local museum directors and to staff at relic conservation sites.  At Minqin, a county where the Chinese diplomat named Su-wu, a famous historical figure, herded flocks of goats and sheep, we looked at how the county official invests money and manpower into environmental protection.  Sand is blanketing the farmable land in Minqin and now the county government is employing experts from around the globe and other parts of China to try to solve this problem.  This land, which is full of magical tales for a folklorist to learn and rich cultures for an ethnomusicologist to study, is also in great need of regional development, economically, socially, and culturally.

The ancient Silk Road is not merely a long corridor in which uncountable historical stories took place and where historical relics have been discovered; when situated within the context of contemporary China, the Road is a long corridor in which countless stories are waiting to be told, history is waiting to be made and monuments to be built.  It is a stage waiting for exciting new plots and daring characters.

To comment on Lanlan Kuang's article on State Alumni, please click here.   



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Submitting Photos, Articles and Blogs to State Alumni


Share your photos with the Fulbright Community!
  • Step 1: Register for State Alumni at https://alumni.state.gov.
  • Step 2: Once your account has been verified, login to State Alumni and navigate to the Fulbright Community from your community menu on the home page, or go directly to https://alumni.state.gov/fulbright.
  • Step 3:  Click on "Multimedia Gallery" to view existing photo albums, podcasts and videos. 
  • Step 4: To add your own photo album, click on 'Create a New Album' on the right hand side of the multimedia gallery page.
  • Step 5: Create your album by adding a title and description.  Please be specific.  Adding your name, home country, Fulbright country, field of study and year will help others to easily identify you and your photos.  Click "Save."
  • Step 6: Click "Add Photos" to begin adding photos to your album.  Photos may be added one at a time (Single File) or as a group (Zip Archive allows uploads of .zip, .gzip, and tar files). 
  • Step 7: For each photo or group of photos, enter appropriate titles, captions, keyword tags and a location. 
  • Step 8: Edit your album or the individual photos in your album, if necessary.
  • Step 9: The Fulbright Community Manager will be alerted of your new album and will approve materials before they appear live on the site.  Until they are approved, photos will display a "pending" status.
  • Step 10: Enjoy the Fulbright Community galleries and articles!

    Note: In addition to adding photos to the Fulbright Community Multimedia Gallery, you may also upload photos to the general Photo Gallery for all State Alumni members or to your user profile.  If you have a podcast or video to share, please email it to Fulbright@alumni.state.gov. 

Tell the Fulbright Community about what you're writing!

  • Step 1: Register for State Alumni at https://alumni.state.gov.
  • Step 2: Once your account has been verified, login to State Alumni and navigate to the Fulbright Community from your community menu on the home page, or go directly to https://alumni.state.gov/fulbright.
  • Step 3: Navigate to "Resources" and select "Fulbright Library" from the menu.
  • Step 4: Choose the appropriate section, such as blogs, research papers or multimedia.  Click "New Topic" to add a new item, or reply to an existing post. 
  • Step 5: Write the name of your blog (or other writing), add a descriptive message, and upload any relevant files.  Click "Save." 
  • Step 6: Subscribe to any or all of the Fulbright Library sections to receive an email when new items are posted.


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A Call for Articles with Photos


We welcome articles with accompanying photos for future issues of the Fulbright U.S. Student Grantee Newsletter.  Articles should ideally be about your experience of being abroad as a Fulbright grantee (and cultural ambassador), and any relevant and/or unique musings you might want to share with your fellow Fulbright grantees and others interested in the Fulbright Program.  The length of the article should be no more than 500 words and not require much editing in order to be published.  The accompanying photos should show you engaged in program activities, or be illustrative of your article's content.  Please submit your articles with photos within two weeks of the release of this newsletter.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We look forward to receiving your articles!

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