EPISODE 6: ADMIRAL Keumalahayati

This week’s virago protected her kingdom and her people from exploitation and disrespect. Talk to her nicely for she is the feared and respected Guardian of the Aceh Kingdom, Admiral Keumalahayati. 

Sanchita Balachandran is a conservator of archaeological materials and a teacher, researcher and writer dedicated to following the stories of the people of the past. She is currently Associate Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum where she teaches courses on the technical research of archaeological objects and the practice and ethics of museum work. She is the Founder/Director of Untold Stories, a non-profit organization focused on pursuing an art conservation profession that represents and preserves a fuller spectrum of cultural heritage.

Things We Referenced:

• Insurrection at The Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6th, 2021
• Rebecca Futo Kennedy
• The Lunder Conservation Center
• The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
• Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
• The mystery woman on the ancient pottery

This week’s virago preferred to fight with her naginata and her band of warriors, the all-woman powerhouse fighters called The Jōshitai (娘子隊, Girls' Army). Nakano was not only a warrior and a community organizer, she was also the last Samurai of Japan.

Legacy Educator, Inspirator, Curator and Advisor

"I employ the arts and humanities (theatre, literature, art and artifacts) as curated conduits to bring the past and present lived experiences of being Black and Brown in America to all who care to learn about, embrace, celebrate and most importantly…value it."

Tia Powell Harris’ career as an arts educator and administrator began at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC and spans over thirty years. Following her initial work at Ellington she served first as Manager of Community Partnerships at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and then as Associate Director of Education Programs at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. While at the Smithsonian she also acted as co-chair of the Smithsonian Institution’s Material Culture Forum. She returned to Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 2006 where she held the position of Dean of Arts and was then pleased to become the school’s first Director of Artistic Affairs. After serving as Executive Director and President of Weeksville Heritage Center (a multidimensional museum and cultural center dedicated to preserving the history of the 19th century African American community of Weeksville in Brooklyn, New York) she once again returned to Ellington as Chief Executive Officer of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Project and the Ellington Fund. She holds a BS in Speech and Drama Education and an MA in Communication Arts and Theatre from the University of Maryland.

Things We Referenced:

• James Baldwin’s, “A Talk to Teachers”
• The 1619 Project
• “The 1776 Report” from The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission
• The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commision 
• The National Portrait Gallery
• The affectionately nicknamed “New Black museum on the mall” is the esteemed National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Utah GOP Senator Mike Lee voted against a National Latino museum in DC
• The Weeksville Heritage Center
• Audre Lorde’s “The Uses of Anger”
• Word Warriors of 20th century literature
  • Nikki Giovanni
  • Sonia Sanchez
  • Lucille Clifton
  • Gwendolyn Brooks 
• Contemporary Black woman poets
  • Elizabeth Alexander
  • Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in US history

This week’s virago is the head-busting noble, Banu Goshasp. You’ve never met a bride like this before. A fighter, a hunter, and a Persian epic hero who is not excited about marriage - at all.  

Dr. Maggie Beeler is an adjunct professor in Greek and Roman Classics at Temple University. She received her PhD in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College and has participated in various excavations in Greece and the United Arab Emirates. Her research and teaching focus on issues of social identity, social difference, and the role of material culture in the process of social change.

Things We Referenced:

• The Bronze Age
• “Ecofacts” and material culture
• Dr. Beeler’s talk on “Representing Race in the Ancient Mediterranean” at The Archaeological Institute of America's Iowa Society presentation 
• “Capital Terrorists Take Inspiration from Ancient World”, visual & material culture at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021
• “Ancient Aliens” television show
• The Smithsonian Magazine’s response to the “Ancient Aliens” television show
• “From Amphipolis to Mosul, New Approaches to Cultural Heritage Preservation in the Eastern Mediterranean”
• Decolonized archeology 
• Digital humanities
• The digital version of The Acropolis Museum
• Pharaoh Hatshepsut 
• Vice President Kamala D. Harris