UNF alum serves as guardian of history at Florida Museum of Natural History
By Joy Batteh-Freiha
Museums can be engaging and fascinating places for kids to learn and explore about history, art, science and more.Two-time University of North Florida alum Dr. Amanda Hall recalled one of her favorite childhood memories was spending a day in a museum, where she was captivated by the exhibits and dioramas that depicted ancient civilizations.
“My fascination with all things related to the past began when I was around 6 years old,” said Hall. “My mother would take my siblings and me on trips to the public museum, and we would spend the day enjoying the exhibits. My favorites were those depicting Native American history. It inspired me to become an archaeologist and ethnohistorian.”
Hall, from North Port, Florida, studied anthropology and history as an undergraduate and graduate student at UNF. For the past eight years, she has had the opportunity to research Indigenous cultures using archaeology and historical documents at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. She cannot think of anything else she would rather be doing.
Earlier this year, Hall was appointed as the new collections manager for Florida and Caribbean archaeology at the museum, where she gets to be a “steward of artifacts” — maintaining and preserving the museum’s collections, which includes digitizing inventories and their supporting documents, tracking loans, training volunteers, assisting visiting researchers and mentoring students.
As the collections manager, Hall considers herself the “caretaker of materials” and says strict measures are taken to ensure that the artifacts are properly accounted for, documented and safely stored.
“All archaeologists and historians are captivated by cultural materials created in the past,” Hall said. “Whether it’s a pottery sherd or a document, when we come across these materials, it’s in our nature to know more about them and do our best to protect them so they can be shared by future generations.”
The journey
Hall did not take the traditional route to college — but rather took time off to raise her daughter. Once her daughter was grown, her desire to learn more about all things related to ancient civilizations was still evident.
In 2010, Hall enrolled in UNF as an undergraduate majoring in anthropology with a minor in history, and in 2013, she enrolled in the master’s program at UNF, focusing on the history of the Yamasee Indians in the history department. She then went on to earn her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Florida.
One of the reasons Hall chose to study at UNF was because of the archaeological research and longtime field studies taking place in the anthropology department.
Dr. Keith Ashley is an associate professor of anthropology and director of UNF’s Archaeology Lab. As one of Hall’s former professors and mentors who has remained in contact with her through the years, Ashley says UNF maintains the most continuous archaeological field school for undergraduate students in the state of Florida.
“Jacksonville has a rich Indigenous history, but it is a history that is underpublicized and underappreciated,” Ashley said. “In fact, about 97% of the human history of Jacksonville is an Indigenous history. Our archaeological research over the past two decades has challenged conventional thinking on Native American culture in northeastern Florida and altered the way we interpret many aspects of their way of life.”
Hall said her hands-on experience participating in archaeological field and laboratory studies is what led her to the career she has today, and credits Ashley and her other professors, including historian Dr. Denise Bossy and Vicki Rolland, for their knowledge and guidance.“I’ve had several amazing mentors during my time at UNF while earning my bachelor’s and master’s degrees,” Hall said. “The guidance, encouragement and support from these professors was essential to my achievements and success today.”
Ashley recalled Hall’s passion and drive for archaeology and how she willingly took advantage of every opportunity that came her way.
“Amanda is among the best anthropology students I’ve worked with at UNF,” he said. “Even in her early days at UNF, she had her sights set on earning a doctorate degree in Anthropology and she took full advantage of every field excavation opportunity offered at UNF and presented her novel research at University and professional conferences.”
Hall was awarded the Outstanding Anthropology Presentation Award in 2012, at UNF’s Senior Anthropology and Sociology Symposium for her research on cord-marked pottery she discovered from an archaeological site in Jacksonville.
“The field opportunities led by Dr. Ashley during the summer and the visits to the St. Augustine Historical Society with my master’s advisor Dr. Bossy to mine the archives for documents pertaining to my thesis research, were some of my most memorable experiences at UNF,” said Hall.
As part of her responsibilities as the Collections Manager at the museum, Hall participates in public outreach, giving talks to historical societies, students and libraries. She often advises students interested in archaeology to be inquisitive, detailed and patient.
“You must have a passion for history and not be afraid to question everything,” explained Hall. “Patience is necessary, from field to collections, doing archaeology in any form is a process that takes time — enjoy the journey while looking forward to the destination.”
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