Performative Archaeology

Ritual reproduction requires restricted repetition. Tradition involves constrained improvisation according to agreed upon rules of conduct. By trying out cooking a turkey in a hole in the ground a group of anthropologists from PSU decided to challenge the culinary conventions of the National Ritual of Giving Thanks. The aim was not necessarily contrarian, but rather a reflexive desire to explore other options. No variables were isolated or measured at any point in these experiments. The project was done purely for fun and experience of pit oven cooking. Photos by Margaret Brown Vega.

Watia Earth Oven

This is a photograph of a watia earth oven that was located in an agricultural field in the Rio Ramis. The image also shows a stick that was used to open up the oven in order to remove the food that was cooked in it.
This image shows a detail of the burned dirt and ash that remain behind after an earth oven is used.














This image shows a detail of the dirt clods that are used in shaping the oven.

Medio Mundo Squatters Hut

Study of a temporary shelter using a Blackberry 8100 camera.

	Wikiup adjacent to the coastal headlands at the albufera of Medio Mundo, Near North Coast, Peru.
	The kitchen area of the encampment.
	The domestic hearth is composed of bricks with newspaper used as kindling.