Hello! My name is Hollis Miller and I am an assistant professor of anthropology and archaeology at SUNY Cortland in central New York! I grew up and went to college in Pennsylvania, where I studied geology and anthropology. Although initially interested in the study of past climates, I eventually found my path to archaeology as a way to use both my geological and anthropological trainings. I received my PhD in anthropology from the University of Washington in 2023.
My research interests focus on archaeologies of colonialism, historical ecology, storytelling in archaeology, and community-based research. These interests are drawn together in the Old Harbor Archaeological History Project, which explores Indigenous Sugpiaq/Alutiiq negotiation of Russian colonialism from the late 18th century through the mid-19th century on Kodiak Island in Alaska. In my dissertation, I used various storytelling methods (personal, fictive, story-models) alongside standard archaeological analyses of faunal remains and belongings (a.k.a. artifacts) to examine how Sugpiaq people worked, related to the land, and made community – in short, persisted and survived – in the midst of Russian colonial impositions.
My research would not be possible without insight and direction from the Old Harbor community. I am committed to community-based research practices, which foreground the needs and interests of local, Indigenous and/or descendant communities in the development and implementation of research. OHAHP has active youth programs, including a collaboration with Nuniaq Culture Camp and an internship program, that support the training of Alaska Native youth in scientific research methods and ensure that archaeological research has a life in Old Harbor (not just in the academy) and is accountable to the community.
In addition to my academic pursuits, I am a music lover (who still has a CD collection!), a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanatic, and the proud caretaker of the two cutest cats in the world.
Hollis K. Miller 