Hello! My name is Hollis and I am an archaeology PhD candidate at the University of Washington in Seattle. 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.
My research interests focus on archaeologies of colonialism, gender and the environment. 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. For my dissertation, I ask questions about how the experience of Russian occupation and the fur trade differed for indigenous women and men and the effects of the fur trade on the local environment, society and economic system.
I am also working to invest in and practice community-based archaeology, which foregrounds the needs and interests of local, Indigenous and/or descendant communities into archaeological research. In this vein, I am excited at the opportunity to collaborate with the community of Old Harbor, which supports the OHAHP. I look forward to continued relationship building and shared engagement in the local history and archaeology through a youth internship program, a field school and public presentations.
In addition to my academic pursuits, I am a music lover (with an actual CD collection!), a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanatic, and the proud owner of the two cutest cats in the Pacific Northwest.
Hollis K. Miller 