One of the major focuses of the Archaeology module in the Turkana Basin is the use of stone tools in pre-historical times. Oldowan and Acheulean stone tool technologies were collectively prevalent for millions of years; Now it was time for our modern day students to try their hand at reliving their ancient ancestors´ ways of [...]
For the second week of the archaeology module the students set off every morning to do some fieldwork at Ayangiyeng. On the first day the students did a surface survey of the area in transects and practised using the Total Station. During the survey they came across many stone tools, especially microliths, as well as [...]
Last Sunday the students returned to the school for the fourth and final phase of the mural painting. It was time to finish the colourful freeze and add the finishing touches to the main part of the mural - some clouds, butterflies, mountains and hand-prints to add extra colour. A grey wall was transformed into [...]
On Thursday the students set off for a 3-day camping trip to Nariokotome with Dr. Lisa Hildebrand and Dr. Sonia Harmand. En route, we stopped off at two archaeological sites. The first was the Kalokol pillar site where Dr. Lisa Hildebrand has previously excavated as part of her research on the early spread of pastoralism [...]
Last week the student went out to survey a local gravel collection site for a taster session on how to use a Total Station as part of Archaeological Surveying. They were joined by Dr. Chad Hill who specializes in Middle Eastern Archaeology and Aerial Survey. Earlier in the day he had given a lecture on [...]
On the first day of the new module, Archaeology, taught by Dr. Sonia Harmand and Dr. Lisa Hildebrand, the students went down to the Turkwel River to experience first hand how stone tools can be used, and are still used today by the Turkana people to peel Doum Palm Nuts. Students collecting nuts from [...]
The mural in progress On Sunday the students returned for the third phase of mural painting at the school. The agenda for the morning was to finish up the animals, and to begin work on the frieze. Dino and his Cheetah Lorraine and Zach painting the Giraffe Kat [...]
We are watching a total solar eclipse at TBI right now - here are a couple of photos... more soon Students watching the TOTAL solar eclipse The eclipse begins!
There was much excitement at TBI with the eminent approach of Halloween. In preparation for the festivities the students carved some pumpkins and many made masks using recycled material found round the camp for their costumes. Here are some photos. Jack-o-Lantern Carving!!!! Chelsea's Vampire Pumpkin Luisa's Frankenstein's Monster [...]
The group trek through along the coast During the week, the TBI group went on their last field trip for the Human Evolution module to Lake Turkana, to check around a site where a human post-cranial fossil was found. Although they didn´t find anything as exciting as that, they still managed to find [...]
While Dr. Kimbel's team was out fossil hunting among the TBI outcrops, a smaller group of students headed out with Nyete back to South Turkwel to a site where a hominin long bone fossil was previously found. The task was to sieve the top layer of surrounding outcrop in search for any additional fossil fragments. [...]
On Monday half of the students went to a sieving site with Nyete, while the other half went out to the TBI outcrops to try their best to find hominin fossils. When we got to the outcrops, the group split up to try and find the treasures buried there. Lorraine searches the outcrop for [...]
On Sunday the students returned to the school to begin the second phase of the mural: Outlining the main animals and painting in the blue background. Some of the more artistic students showed off their skills by drawing and painting these main animals onto the wall. Casey began the day drawing a fantastic Zebra: [...]
At the beginning of this week the students started the new module, Human Evolution, taught by professor Bill Kimbel. Over the last few days they have been learning about the paleoenviroments associated with the rise of early hominids, the evolution of bipedal locomotion and the associated anatomical transitions from our quadrupedal ancestors, and the potential [...]
On Sunday, the students returned to the Nakwaperit Primary School to start off a project to give color to the walls of the main classroom. The students started off with painting a white base as a foundation for the mural. Students applying a white base coat to the Primary School walls Amna [...]
The Paleontology module is winding down to a close, and for our last trip we returned to Lothagam - one of the most important Miocene fossil bearing sites in the Rift Valley. Professor Boyer leads the students through the ancient formations in search of fossils The students open their fossil-finding eyes as [...]
The game is on! TBI (right) faces Nakwaperit Primary School (left). The Turkana Basin Institute Field School students and staff visited the Nakwaperit Primary School over the weekend to play a competitive, yet casual, football match. TBI students and staff pursue the ball. We held up a good defense, but our [...]
Today the Field School students spent the day in the field looking for fossils in three different sites: Lothodok, the edge of the Kalodir deposits and Maurorot. All these sites are north of TBI and represent different slices of time that have been preserved in the fossil record. Prof Boyer explains the importance of [...]
Professor Doug Boyer teaches the students about taxonomic features. The Field School students spent the morning looking at some of the skeletal collections that the Institute has to offer. From the tiny Rock Hyrax to the massive Elephant, the students were able to familiarize themselves with anatomical terminology and variation in African mammals. [...]
The Field School students visited different deposits in the Napedet Hills south of TBI this morning to look for fossils. This was to introduce the students to fieldwork and how fossils are located in the field, then how they get documented. We started at a Pleistocene Site The first fossil discovery of the [...]