The interest that a ragpicker takes in rubbish and detritus, as described by Baudelaire and further developed by Benjamin (1999: 350), is not dissimilar to the archaeologist's concern with the remnants, the things left behind, abandoned. When filling the silences of the colonial archive, the archaeologist collects and catalogues everything that has been cast off, everything broken and discarded. Going through these jumbled leftovers, both archaeologists and ragpickers experience a deep intimacy with the objects they encounter: glass beads from a woven bracelet, a shell celt, textile remains of a hat, a ceramic cooking pot, a flint sceptre, an ivory brush handle, a wooden spoon, a bone needle, an iron sword, a rattle. In this way, archaeologists and ragpickers gather and collect other people's experience of textures, shapes, sounds, fear, traumas, joy, sadness and hopes.

正如波德莱尔所描述的，捡破烂者对垃圾和碎屑的兴趣，由本雅明（1999：350）进一步发展，这与考古学家对遗迹、留下的东西、被遗弃的关注没有什么不同。在填补殖民档案的寂静时，考古学家收集并编目所有被丢弃的东西，所有破碎和丢弃的东西。通过这些杂乱无章的残余物，考古学家和拾荒者都与他们所遇到的物品产生了深深的亲密关系：编织手镯上的玻璃珠、贝壳凯尔特、帽子的纺织残骸、陶瓷烹饪锅、燧石权杖、象牙刷柄、木勺、骨针、铁剑、拨浪鼓。通过这种方式，考古学家和拾荒者收集和收集其他人对纹理、形状、声音、恐惧、创伤、喜悦、悲伤和希望的体验。