In this episode, Meghan and Colleen discuss talking goats, barking boyfriends, and fish balls, as well as the actual contents of The Message in the Hollow Oak (1972)!

Note: In this 1972 book, the characters are on an archeological dig, spending most of the time at the dig exhuming indigenous bodies and their artifacts, and not being, shall we say, culturally sensitive in any way, shape, or form. We don’t talk about it the entire episode, but it is the setting of the book, so it does get discussed. If that’s not your cup of tea, obviously feel free to skip this episode.

Some info (with visuals) about the Hopewell tradition: https://openvirtualworlds.org/omeka/exhibits/show/moundbuildersart/moundbuilders/middlewoodland

Additional info about the Hopewell tradition: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/anthropology/hopewell-culture

The interesting path of the idiom “rats fleeing a sinking ship,” discussed in the Gumshoe Game Show: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/like-rats-fleeing-a-sinking-ship-history

To hear the fascinating and fantastic stories of indigenous archeologists, we recommend the Heritage Voices podcast: https://livingheritageanthropology.org/heritage-voices-podcast

We also recommend the 2024 book Working As Indigenous Archeologists: https://www.routledge.com/Working-as-Indigenous-Archaeologists-Reckoning-New-Paths-Between-Past-and-Present-Lives/Nicholas-Watkins/p/book/9781032025377

To see visuals of the images discussed in this (or any) episode, go to patreon.com/nancydrew (images are not behind a paywall)!

For episode transcripts, please visit meandyouandnancydrew.com/transcripts