Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Eight people sitting a standing on a mound of dirt holding up four fingers.

Day 4: Why We’re Here

Community, Human Rights, Migrant Death

Today was a really hard day, both physically and mentally.  It seems like each step forward had their associated two steps back.  Whether it be digging, searching, or mapping, nothing went as we expected.  The phrase “expect the unexpected” definitely rang true today, and we had to really work as a team to adapt to the challenges and changing situations we encountered.  In addition to these mental challenges, today was also physically challenging.  Yesterday consisted of hours upon hours of digging.  As one could expect, getting out of bed this morning was not a piece of cake.  In addition, another 10 hours of shoveling and hauling buckets today proved extremely difficult and physically taxing.

As the morning went on, exhaustion began to set in.  We were taking measurements in the western part of the cemetery when a large car approached.  As this cemetery is still frequented by family members visiting their loved ones, we thought nothing of it. However, they came to a stop right where we were working.  The door opened and a small dog hopped out, followed by two women carrying plastic shopping bags.  These bags were full of bread, lunch meat, cheese, oranges, donuts, and bottled water.  The women repeatedly thanked us for the work we were doing, and said that the work being done was nothing short of extraordinary.  We graciously thanked the women and they went on their way.

Team member dumping a bucket of dirt.
Erica helping refill the excavation area

Later in the afternoon, we moved back to the eastern part of the cemetery and continued to work in the area we begun the days prior.  After we were about halfway through refilling the excavated areas, the same women approached us once more.  This time, they told us that they would love to make us a hot meal and bring it to the cemetery for us to eat.  They said it was the least they could do, again expressing their gratitude for the work being conducted.  Witnessing the pure emotions of these women was truly a humbling and emotional experience for me.

Today reminded me that despite being sore and experiencing setbacks and challenges in the field, the work we are conducting is making a huge impact in the community.  The fact that these women would give up their time, money, and energy to bring lunches and make a hot meal for over 30 volunteers is nothing short of amazing.  This aspect of today really brought things back into perspective for me.  It’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t go as planned, but at the end of the day, the work being conducted here in Falfurrias is truly an amazing humanitarian effort in response to a crisis whose effects are felt community-wide.   Despite all of the challenges and trials faced in the field today, this one small act of kindness reminded me why we are here.

–Leann

Day 3: Sticker Burrs

Environment, Human Rights, Migrant Death

Here we are at the end of day 2 (in the field) and I have been stuck by more sticker burrs than I can keep track of. It is a love/hate relationship, me and sticker burs; I hate them and they seem to love me. These sticker burrs are also different than the burr you would find in Indiana; in Texas, they are small, sphere shaped with tiny knives that stick to everything. In my original post, I thought scorpions were going to be my kryptonite but no, it is the dreaded Texas sticker burr.

Reflecting back on today, I am astonished at the amount progress that has been accomplished  within our group as well as the Texas State group. It was an early morning for everyone; arriving at the cemetery at 7am, our groups immediately got down to work. There were three groups working on three different areas of the cemetery and although we were all doing the same excavation work, at the same cemetery, with the same goals; we all faced different challenges.

One of the challenges our group faced was figuring out how to excavate an area that is comprised mostly of sand causing the walls of the burial to be completely unstable. This was an excellent example of teamwork and why having an open line of communication is important in field work. We were able to bounce ideas off each other and develop a not-so-standard solution on how to move forward with the excavation resulting in the recovery of two of the three burials.

Another challenge our group faced was being the center of attention to a large group of media personnel who were at the site in order to bring awareness to this humanitarian issue. It was not until I was able to step back after my excavation rotation that I realized how many people were actually filming us. Media standing over and filming two team members excavating a burial.In the moment, it may appear troublesome having so many people crowding such a small area but it is a small price to pay for all of the positive attention it is bringing to the crisis here in South Texas.

Media filming team members excavating a burial.After each burial excavation is completed, the remains are taken into a private tent area where all the remains and personal belongings are inventoried. Once the inventory is completed, the remains and personal belongings are prepared to be sent to Texas State University for analysis. What we are currently doing in South Texas really is a small first step, in the longer more complicated process that takes place after the remains arrive  back at Texas State University.

Today was a pleasant mixture of exhaustion and Team selfie at a restaurant.excitement as we were able to take that first step in the long process of getting these individuals identified and repatriated. At the end of the day, we are all in high spirits….. exhausted.. but in high spirits as we sit around the table wrapping up day 2 by completing our evening tasks of blogging, mapping, note taking, and logging photos. Its hard to think that this is only day 2 and that we only have 7 days left. I am excited to see what the next week may bring us since we have plans for visiting the Humanitarian Respite Center and traveling to the border. It has certainly been an eye opening experience thus far and I imagine that after volunteering at the Human Rights Center and visiting the various places that it will only become richer. Until next time…

Jessica

Eight people standing in front of a tree holding up two fingers.

Day 2: First Day of Fieldwork

Human Rights, Migrant Death

Now that we’ve reached Falfurrias, the whole team has assembled and it is time to get to work.  We decided to meet in the Sacred Heart Burial Park to plan our excavations.  At sunrise, the UIndy team combined with the great people of Texas State to create our one conglomerated mega-team.

People standing in a circle.
The Team

The first step of the process was introductions.  Many of our troupe of players already knew each other, but it was a great opportunity to get familiar with new faces.  The next step was to describe all of the work that had been done in the previous years (if you are curious about the previous work click here).  This was followed by a tour of the cemetery and a survey of the areas in which we will be working over the next several days.

A team member kneeling on the ground with a compass.
Perfect compass form.

After the tour, we began the slow and methodical mapping and gridding of the area we would be excavating.  Normally at UIndy, we hand-draw our site maps; while Leann took on this task, Texas State brought some amazing space-age tools with them to help in the process.  One of the tools they brought was a transit mapping system.  Normal mapping systems, like the Total stations we have in our lab rely on lasers and a direct line of sight.  While they are useful, they can be tough to use in certain conditions.  This next-generation iteration does not rely on direct line of sight and can be used nearly everywhere.  They also brought ground penetrating radar (or GPR). This equipment provides a way of peering into the ground without having to dig it up first.  This saves us from having to completely excavate several areas that may contain nothing at all.

Team members using a Total Station
Where do you get these wonderful toys?

Finally, we finished the day by shovel-shining our areas so they will be ready to excavate tomorrow.  Shovel-shining is the process of removing the surface debris and vegetation.  Not only is it essential to the process but it also makes everything look pretty.  I’m very excited to continue the process tomorrow.

An area of ground with the grass removed.
Shovel Shine

Justin