8 Tuesday 11 June 2024 Keynote lecture Matthew Rowe (University of Arizona), Broadening understanding of United States artifact collector behavior through observations of Facebook groups to help guide mitigation and collaboration Archaeologists working with archaeological resource stewards/citizen scientists have focused on highlighting the beneficial, collaborative relationships between these collectors and the professional community. Special issues of the SAA Advances in Archaeological Practice published many examples of how these resource stewards contribute to the expansion of archaeological knowledge and the preservation and protection of archaeological resources. Unfortunately, informal surveys of Facebook groups and Ebay reveal the activities of collectors that professional archaeologists have been and continue to be wary. We might call these groups “the avid collectors” and “the profiteers.” This presentation draws on a survey of three United States based collector groups that are active on Facebook to better define these groups, consider the impacts of their activities, discuss how these three groups fit within the legal landscape of archaeological resource laws, and consider and explore practical approaches for collaboration and/or mitigation of their actions. Theme 3: Theoretical perspectives on HPCs and citizen science Kiara Beaulieu (University of Antwerp), Metal Detecting Trends and Attitudes in Ontario, Canada; What Does Early Survey Data Tell us? Ontario, Canada metal detecting hobbyists have been under increasing pressure to find legitimacy in not only the eyes of the public but archaeologists. Members of this group have launched initiatives such as permit systems, Youtube channels, self-published books and events including the 2nd Annual Metal Detecting Museum in Hamilton, Ontario. A recent newspaper article Digging Up Controversy (April 9, 2024) drew stark lines in the sand on the ethics and legalities of detecting and events that ‘glorify’ the hobby. In an attempt to understand the trends, attitudes and challenges of not only metal detecting community but the concerns of cultural heritage professionals and Indigenous partners a survey was launched that included targeted questions to ferret out ingrained beliefs, concerns and challenges faced by each group. This brief consideration of the newest raw data provides us with real world numbers and attitudes of the metal detecting community outside of Europe. Sami Raninen (Finnish Heritage Agency), (Un)managing metal detectorism in Finland Metal detecting has become a common hobby in Finland only during the last 15 years. The Finnish detectorist community was surveyed in 2014 and 2019, but more recent developments have not been properly studied. Authorities seem to be facing an increasingly self-conscious detectorist body, or possibly several informal bodies and networks with variable heritage practices and internal conflicts. At the same, collaboration between field-working archaeologists and detectorists has become common. My presentation arises from the experience of an archaeological museum curator negotiating between various hobbyist and professional interests, targeting towards culturally sustainable practice in an era of administrative resource austerity.
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