15th Annual DrumBeats Through Time, October 6th

(WAVERLY, NY) The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center (SRAC) located at 358 Broad Street Waverly, NY is announcing the 15th Annual “DrumBeats Through Time” to be held on Saturday October 6th, 2018. The SRAC Annual Luncheon will be held from 11-12:30, and the doors open to the public from 1-5pm. The event is free to attend.

SRAC members are encouraged to attend the membership luncheon this year to get a tour of the ongoing construction of the Laboratory and Research Center on the second floor and to get updates on other SRAC endeavors underway. Exclusive give-aways are also a part of this luncheon. The luncheon will be catered by the Railhouse restaurant and your RSVP is requested in order to plan seating for this popular event. Please call the Center at 607-565-7960 or email info@sracenter.org to RSVP before October 3. Postcards will also be sent to current and recent members as a reminder.

If you have not re-upped your membership or are not sure if your membership is up-to-date, simply
stop in, call the museum or plan to come early and re-up the day of the event.

Doors open to the public at 1pm.

SRAC’s Dr. DeeAnne Wymer and Dan Caister will present "The 2018 Field Season Findings at The Desisti Site: A Tale of Two Occupations.”  The presentation will illustrate the unique items being excavated at the site this year and what findings have been revealed using scientific carbon dating methods. 

At 2pm past NYSAA President Dr. Bill Engelbrecht will present ” Early Late Woodland Pottery from Northwest Pennsylvania” Current terminology used to describe ceramics in the Northeast presents a challenge for both avocational and professional. In some cases two or more ceramic type descriptions overlap while in other cases type names in different areas describe similar material. Some types describe ceramics used for a long period of time, rendering them poor temporal indicators. Using an attribute approach provides a clearer picture of individual specimens but renders comparison with ceramics from other sites problematic unless they are described using the same system. This presentation describes ceramics from a pre-Iroquoian multi-component site in northwest Pennsylvania using a revised ceramic typology coupled with an attribute approach.

At 3pm, SRAC's David Moyer will present, "Prehistoric and Early Historic Native Landscapes in the Upper Susquehanna Valley." The late prehistory and early history of the Upper Susquehanna Valley has created a unique landscape that has presented many challenges to archaeologists. In the 1300s and 1400s the region boasted a large population of prehistoric farmers. It appears that the valleys were then abandoned until the late 17th and early 18th centuries, when the Susquehanna and Chemung valleys were occupied by Native refugees from other regions displaced  by war and European encroachment. These village communities continued to expand throughout the 18th century until the outbreak of the American Revolution when these settlements were abandoned.

At 4pm, Seneca Native American historian Dick Kane will give a presentation on the cultural history of the Seneca. Mr. Kane will display authentic cultural items and discuss their significance.

At 4pm, the Seneca Dancers will perform, sharing their culture, music, and dance.The Seneca dancers have been a very popular part of SRAC’s Annual event for over a decade.

We invite the public to experience SRAC and what we celebrate every day, our Native American archaeology, prehistory, history and culture - all in one amazing day.