YAMA PROJECT
Our Team.
The Yama Project is directed by the faculty of Anthropology at Olympic College, Bremerton, assisted by volunteers and students from throughout Kitsap County and beyond.
Caroline Hartse
Caroline is liaison for the OC Anthropology Department and the Yama Project. She is a cultural anthropologist who earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1993, and has been faculty at OC since 1994. Her research interests include cultural change, anthropology of religion, communitarian societies, and psychological anthropology. Contact Caroline atchartse@olympic.edu
Floyd Aranyosi
Floyd is the Principal Investigator for the Yama project. He has been a professional archaeologist since 1993, and has worked on historic sites in coastal California, the High Sierras, and the Mississipi River valley, and on prehistoric sites in the Sierras, the Republic of Ireland, and the province of Northern Ireland. He has been teaching anthropology since 1994, and has been a member of the Olympic College Faculty since 2001. Contact Floyd at faranyosi@olympic.edu.
Etsuko Evans
Etsuko graduated from the University of Japan in Tokyo, earning a degree in teaching. Etsuko's passion is to help others learn, especially about Japanese culture and society.
She joined Olympic College over five years ago as a Japanese instructor and tutor, and is currently taking courses at Olympic College to help advance her professional communication skills. Notable awards include receiving a Certificate of Recognition in 2010, as well as Dean's Scholar andPresident's Scholar awards. She enjoys teaching and dreams of becoming a teacher again.
As a research assistant for the Yama project, Etsuko is excited to help uncover different aspects of Japanese life in the Pacific Northwest. She provides cultural context to help identify the objects found and assists with document translations.
Jean Hannah
Jean began her studies in archaeology at Tacoma Community College, and demonstrated her passion for archaeological fieldwork at the Yama site in 2015 as a student. Her research on the enigmatic brick structures at Yama has been presented at the Northwest Anthropological Conference in Tacoma in Spring of 2016, and at other professional and academic meetings throughout the Puget Sound.
Robert Drolet
Robert, a.k.a. "Dr. Bob," is Emeritus professor at the Yama Project, and served as Principal Investigator in developing the project until his retirement. He is passionate about engaging with other world cultures, teaching anthropology, and doing archaeology.
Dr. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is bilingual (Spanish/English) and has taught anthropology at the University of Hawaii, Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, and Texas A&M University. He has also been a museum curator at Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, and has directed archaelogical research projects and field schools in Central America and Texas.
Robert Drolet
Robert, a.k.a. "Dr. Bob," is Emeritus professor at the Yama Project, and served as Principal Investigator in developing the project until his retirement. He is passionate about engaging with other world cultures, teaching anthropology, and doing archaeology.
Dr. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is bilingual (Spanish/English) and has taught anthropology at the University of Hawaii, Universidad de Costa Rica, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, and Texas A&M University. He has also been a museum curator at Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, and has directed archaelogical research projects and field schools in Central America and Texas.
Dave Davis
Dave is an alumnus of Olympic College who went on to his Master's research at Central Washington University. He has been managing field crews and assisting at CWU's field school for over five years, and is a specialist in lithic debitage analysis from prehistoric sites in the Pacific Northwest. His enthusiasm for archaeology is matched by his willingness to share his knowledge with students.
Mr. Davis will be presenting his findings on aspects of the Yama Project at the 2017 Society for American Archaeology meetings in Vancouver, BC, along with professor Aranyosi and Ms. Garrett.
Ashley Garrett
Ashley is completing her Bachelor's degree in anthropology and archaeology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She started her archaeological career at historic sites in coastal California. In 2016, she enrolled in the Yama Project field school, and will be returning as a Crew Chief for the 2017 season. Ms. Garrett is also the creator of the Yama Project field map. When finished, the map will include the topography of the site, the locations of the former buildings and civic infrastructure, and the precise locations of discovery of each of the
You
The most important person, missing from this page of contributors to the Yama Project, is you.
You can contribute to filling in the "lost chapter" of Washington State history, and the history of the United States and Japan, by enrolling in the 2017 Field School. It is our goal, as field school staff and faculty, to give every student the skills s/he will need to embark on a career in archaeological fieldwork. By the end of the 8 week Summer session, successful students will have the skills they need to enter the exciting and rewarding field of professional archaeology. There is no better job in the world! Please contact professor Aranyosi at faranyosi@olympic.edu for more details.