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| The Archaeological Studies Program: |
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By Elson T. Elizaga
Published April 11, 2011. Edited further on
September 11, 2024. A dead link to the mentioned book has been retained.
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APPENDIX 2: CLAIMING TO BE AN ARCHAEOLOGIST
A book by a graduate of the Archaeological Studies Program (ASP) of the University of the Philippines is giving the ASP another black eye. The book is "The Transforming Ethical Practice in Philippine Archaeology" written by Pamela Faylona and edited by Jaime Almansa Sánchez.
I have only read the online introduction, not the entire book. Here is a portion of Faylona’s statements on page 3.
“One of the more controversial incidents in recent times is the “Huluga Archaeological Site Controversy” (see Neri 2003 and Hernandez 2004). The Huluga Controversy is one case in which the issues that Wildesen (1984) raises are highlighted. The Heritage Advocates Groups, headed by a social-anthropologist claiming to be an archaeologist in Cagayan de Oro, condemned the local government (specifically the mayor) over the issue of a bridge being constructed over an archaeological site without first conducting a proper Archaeological Impact Assessment as required by existing laws. When the mayor approved a research project conducted by the UP-ASP, this same Advocate Group inflicted malice into the agreement, thus, called the nationally recognized archaeologists 'unethical' (See Sun Star issues of November 4 and 12-13, 2004)."
My comments: First, there is no Heritage Advocates Groups or Advocate Group in Cagayan de Oro. But there is the Heritage Conservation Advocates (HCA).
Second, the HCA never condemned the local government and the mayor. If Faylona writes "heritage conservation advocates condemn" in Google, she will discover that the Historical and Cultural Commission (HISCOMM) of City Hall condemned the HCA instead.
Third, the HCA did not "inflict malice into the agreement" between mayor Vicente Yap Emano and the ASP for ASP to conduct an alleged science research on Huluga. Facts, not malice, showed that ASP ignored Dr. Erlinda Burton, an archaeologist, when they prepared and made the research, an act which Burton called unethical because codes of major archaeological groups require cooperation among archaeologists.
The Code of Ethics of The Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA), for example, states that an archaeologist must “Communicate and cooperate with colleagues having common professional interests; Give due respect to colleagues' interests in, and rights to, information about sites, areas, collections, or data where there is a mutual active or potentially active research concern; Determine whether the project is likely to interfere with the program or projects of other scholars ... 2.2 AN ARCHAEOLOGIST SHALL NOT: i. Falsely or maliciously attempt to injure the reputation of another archaeologist ....”
Fourth, the HCA is not "headed by a social-anthropologist claiming to be an archaeologist" but a cultural anthropologist who is also an archaeologist: Dr. Erlinda Montillo Burton. Burton is the curator of Museo de Oro of Xavier University.
Inserted on Sept. 16, 2018.
| Dr. Erlinda Montillo Burton passed away in the morning of Sept. 11, 2018. |
From 1965 to 1968, Burton studied Master of Arts in Anthropology, specializing in Archaeology at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, USA. Her thesis was "A Study of the Prehistoric Settlement Patterns of the Provo Area in Central Utah, USA."
In 1967, she participated in the Archaeological Field Training in Calico Archaeological Project, Yermo, California, under the directorship of Louis S. B. Leakey.
The following statement is printed on Burton's master of arts diploma:
"Brigham Young University upon recommendation of the University Faculty and by authority of the Board of Trustees has conferred upon Erlinda Diwa Montillo [her maiden name] the degree of Master of Arts in acknowledgement of achievements in Archaeology and with all the Rights, Privileges and Honors thereunto appertaining . Dated the twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred sixty-eight and of the University the Ninety-third.
"[Signature] David O. McKay, President of the Board of Trustees
"[Signature] Ernest L. Wilkinson, President of the University."
In 1983, Burton earned her doctorate degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Prior to the creation of the Internet, researching professionals was difficult. Today, however, Faylona could easily use Google to get instant information about Burton. She could also email Brigham Young University and inquire at the National Museum, where Burton used to work. Additionally, she is free to write directly to Burton. If Faylona had done these things, she would have sufficiently proven herself to be fair, ethical, and scientific. She could even proudly claim to be an archaeologist. 
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Faylona resigned from the National Museum in 2014 days before a scheduled investigation. The links to her book and introduction to her book generated a "Not Found" message when accessed on September 15, 2018. The book, however, is advertised for sale in Jas Arqueologia.
Jaime Almansa Sánchez is the owner of Jasarqueologia, an online journal about public archaeology. Following is one of his several responses, dated March 7, 2011, to the webmaster's emails. A large portion has been deleted and two misspelled words have been corrected.
Dear Mr. Elizaga and Dr. Burton, I am sorry if the content of this paragraph [written by Faylona] has annoyed you. [Deleted] I can just apologize for any inconvenience caused, specially for the issue about the degree, although I believe these sentences come from the articles quoted [and are] independent from the opinion of the author. [Deleted] Best wishes, Jaime Almansa Sánchez, Director (Arqueología Pública), JAS Arqueología S. L., Móvil: (+34) 669 05 08 04.
Adrien Carole Mooney's thesis at the Department of Anthropology, Brigham Young University, dated March 2014, mentions Erlinda D. Montillo [Burton]. Excerpt from page 37:
"Erlinda Montillo’s (1968) Master’s thesis focused on prehistoric settlement patterns in central Utah, which involved interviewing owners of farmland in the Provo River delta. Montillo utilized a map created by Matheny to survey and locate 38 sites in the area between the Provo airport and Fort Utah, including the Hinckley and Seamons mounds. In his report on the 1968 excavation at Seamons mound, Rex Madsen mentioned that at least twenty of these mounds had been 'reported on' up to that point (Madsen 1969:3). It is unclear what “reported on” actually means, but it likely includes survey and testing as well as excavation."
Mooney's thesis has two titles: 1) An Analysis of the Archaeological Work of the Provo River Delta, Utah (2014), and 2) A Synthesis of 20th-Century Archaeological Work at Fremont Sites in the Provo River Delta, Utah.
Below is Dr. Burton’s email to the webmaster, dated October 3, 2011. It is a response to the webmaster’s request for a photocopy of Burton’s diploma. The email has been edited for this webpage:
Hi Elson,
I am sending the following attachments: diploma, thesis title page, and approval sheet. I would also like to see the credentials of Faylona and [Agnes Paulita] Roa. [Deleted.] I also have a bone to pick with [Eusebio] Dizon and [Victor] Paz. [Deleted.]
This is kind of weird. I have been at Xavier [University] for quite a number of years and was never questioned by the administration, except for my transcript of records. I did provide the Arts and Sciences department with a copy of my MA and Ph.D. diplomas and transcript of records from the University of Pittsburgh. Fr. [Francisco] Demetrio never asked for my credentials. He never doubted my training and experience in archaeology.
What I did at the Butuan site when I directed the first archaeological field school in Mindanao in 1976 attested to my training in that discipline. A social anthropologist could not do that if they did not have training in archaeology. In the first place, I am not a social anthropologist. As trained in the American system, I am referred to as a Cultural Anthropologist, since archaeology is a sub-discipline of the broad discipline of Anthropology. Whereas social anthropology is aligned more with sociology in the British system, and archaeology is a separate discipline allied more with history. This differentiation is not known by those with ASP [Archaeological Studies Program]. But the U.P. Department of Anthropology follows the American system, while ASP follows the British system because of Victor Paz, who was trained in England. That is why ASP and the U.P. [Department of Anthropology] are at odds.
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| Visit counter placed Sept. 15, 2018. |
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