Reconstructing the Politics of Indigenous Identity in Chile

Current research questions how archaeology has reconstructed social identities based on material culture and ethnic groups. Recently, some Native populations from the Tarapacá region, Northern Chile, have claimed their indigenous rights and recognition as Andean First Nations. Using existing laws and programs developed by the Chilean government, they have redefined themselves as organised local communities. Their claims question archaeological practice in the production and reproduction of scientific knowledge, and its social repercussions in the property of land, water and cultural heritage. Within the Latin American social context, archaeology sometimes has avoided playing a political role, consequently conceding certain histories above others. As a social science, the discipline needs to evaluate its impact on archaeologically based identities which are sometimes politically alienated, modified, and appropriated to create new representations of the past legitimised in present time. This paper furthers a discussion of the politics of identity by focusing on the Chilean Aymara case and the legitimacy of its appropriation strategies.     

Virtual Forum: Archaeology and Decolonization

In this forum, patiently achieved through months of cyber-work, participants Nayanjot Lahiri (India), Nick Shepherd (South Africa), Joe Watkins (USA) and Larry Zimmerman (USA), plus the two editors of Arqueología Suramericana, Alejandro Haber (Argentina) and Cristóbal Gnecco (Colombia), discuss the topic of archaeology and decolonization. Nayanjot Lahiri teaches archaeology in her capacity as Professor at the Department of History, University of Delhi. Her books include Finding Forgotten Cities: How the Indus Civilization was Discovered (2005) and The Archaeology of Indian Trade Routes (1992). She has edited The Decline and Fall of the Indus Civilization (2000) and an issue of World Archaeology entitled The Archaeology of Hinduism (2004). Nick Shepherd is a senior lecturer in the Center for African Studies at the University of Cape Town, where he convenes the program in public culture in Africa. He sits on the executive committee of the World Archaeological Congress, and is co-editor of the journal Archaeologies: Journal of the World Archaeological Congress. In 2004 he was based at Harvard University as a Mandela Fellow. He has published widely on issues of archaeology and society in Africa, and on issues of public history and heritage. Joe Watkins is Choctaw Indian and archaeologist Joe Watkins is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. He is 1/2 Choctaw Indian by blood, and has been involved in archaeology for more than thirty-five years. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma and his Master’s of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, where his doctorate examined archaeologists’ responses to questionnaire scenarios concerning their perceptions of American Indian issues. His current study interests include the ethical practice of anthropology and the study of anthropology’s relationships with descendant communities and Aboriginal populations, and he has published numerous articles on these topics. His first book Indigenous Archaeology: American Indian Values and Scientific Practice (AltaMira Press, 2000) examined the relationships between American Indians and archaeologists and is in its second printing His latest book, Reclaiming Physical Heritage: Repatriation and Sacred Sites (Chelsea House Publishers 2005) is aimed toward creating an awareness of Native American issues among high school students. Larry J. Zimmerman is Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies and Public Scholar of Native American Representation at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. He is Vice President of the World Archaeological Congress. He also has served WAC as its Executive Secretary and as the organizer of the first WAC Inter-Congress on Archaeological Ethics and the Treatment of the Dead. His research interests include the archaeology of the North American Plains, contemporary American Indian issues, and his current project examining the archaeology of homelessness. Originally published in Spanish in Arqueología Suramericana 3(1), 2007     

“汉代城市和聚落考古与汉文化国际学术研讨会”纪要

城市是一个国家或地区的政治、文化中心和经济管理、军事指挥中心,是人类文明的集中体现,对古代城址进行发掘和研究历来是考古学的基本内容及重要任务之一。聚落一般指人们聚居的地方,是生产、生活等各种活动的空间及场所。广义的聚落包括城市,     

考古学与性别

本文节译自英国杜伦大学(DurhamUniversity)考古学教授马太·约翰逊(MatthewJohnson)1999年出版的《考古学理论:导言》(ArchaeologicalTheory:AnIntroduction)一书的第八章“考古学与性别”(“ArchaeologyandGender”)。本章节通过对其中几个最流行主题的归纳综述了近二十年来性别考古学的概况,并且介绍了一例典型个案,最后还以答问形式阐述了作者本人对此领域较混淆的若干问题的看法。     

Neutron activation analysis of stone from the Chadron Formation and a Clovis Site on the Great Plains

Cryptocrystalline silicates from the Chadron Formation were widely used by prehistoric human groups in the Great Plains of North America. There are two documented quarry areas: Flattop Butte in Colorado and the White River Badlands of South Dakota. Cryptocrystalline silicates from these sources are visually indistinguishable, making it difficult to determine the sources of artefacts found at archaeological sites. In this investigation, neutron activation analysis is used to distinguish the two sources. This technique also identifies lithic material from the Clovis-age Eckles site in Kansas as being from Flattop Butte.     

Can You Hear us Now? Voices from the Margin: Using Indigenous Methodologies in Geographic Research

Indigenous methodologies are an alternative way of thinking about research processes. Although these methodologies vary according to the ways in which different Indigenous communities express their own unique knowledge systems, they do have common traits. This article argues that research on Indigenous issues should be carried out in a manner which is respectful and ethically sound from an Indigenous perspective. This naturally challenges Western research paradigms, yet it also affords opportunities to contribute to the body of knowledge about Indigenous peoples. It is further argued that providing a mechanism for Indigenous peoples to participate in and direct these research agendas ensures that their communal needs are met, and that geographers then learn how to build ethical research relationships with them. Indigenous methodologies do not privilege Indigenous researchers because of their Indigeneity, since there are many ‘insider’ views, and these are thus suitable for both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous researchers. However, there is a difference between research done within an Indigenous context using Western methodologies and research done using Indigenous methodologies which integrates Indigenous voices. This paper will discuss those differences while presenting a historical context of research on Indigenous peoples, providing further insights into what Indigenous methodologies entail, and proposing ways in which the academy can create space for this discourse.     

社区考古学:文化遗产管理还是考古学研究

社区考古学反映了一种全新的文化遗产管理和考古学研究的思路,其实践仍然具有草创性、不平衡性和多元性。社区考古学是作为让本土社会获得考古学权力的工作方式,以权力让渡为核心,主要涉及发掘权、阐释权、教育权和商业开发权。社区考古学理念确立了社区在文化遗产管理的主体观念,廓清了中国的生态博物馆运动对生态观念和文化保护与经济发展的关系的误解。在考古学研究上,社区考古学是情境考古学的表现形式,将通过采取不同的视角揭示传统考古学研究所无法触及的问题。     

ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH AT THE INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR TECHNIQUES,BUDAPEST UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS: SCHOLARLY ACHIEVEMENTS OF A PROSPEROUS LONG‐TERM COLLABORATION

The laboratory is part of a university institute with a nuclear reactor on the premises. NAA of archaeological materials started in the early 1980s, and has found continuous interest since then. Site‐specific characteristics of the NAA procedure are the long irradiation and counting times, due to the relatively low neutron flux, the single comparator method of standardization and the use of reference materials for quality control. The main research interest focuses on provenance studies of potteries; 90% of the analysed samples are ceramic materials. Most of the projects concentrate on the investigation of pottery finds from Roman Pannonia, and from different archaeological sites in Israel. The Qumran pottery project is presented as a typical example.     

Resource abundance constraints on the early post-contact Cherokee population

We present the combination of an analysis of resource demand by the early post-contact (1721) Cherokee population with spatially explicit estimates of production for five key resources: architectural land, agricultural land, firewood, hard mast, and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We combine a recent synthesis of village location and population, a map of recognized Cherokee territory, digital terrain data, estimates of per capita demand, and productive capacity for each resource. Average, high, and low demands were estimated for each resource and assigned based on a weighted function of terrain and distance from each village. We conclude that Cherokee demands for architectural and agricultural land, hard mast, and fuelwood were easily met within a short proximity to each town under all combinations of production and demand. These resources were likely not limiting, and were satisfied for the entire Cherokee population by less than 1% of the entire recognized Cherokee territory in 1721. These resources likely exceeded demand even when sources were restricted to the convex hull of the Cherokee territory, or to near stream, flat regions. Deer resources were likely harvested over a much larger area and to a much greater extent. Our best estimate of deer resource demand was 32% of annual sustainable production in the Cherokee territory, with from 16 to 48% of estimated sustainable production harvested for low and high demand estimates, respectively. Our estimates vary in response to uncertainties in deer production, harvest proportion, deer density, and sustainable harvest rates. Deer demand was substantially higher under all combinations of conditions than that available within the convex hull of Cherokee villages, indicating significant travel was needed to furnish deer requirements. Spatially explicit models that consider terrain- and distance-related tradeoffs suggest that Cherokee demand for deer drove harvest over areas consisting of over half the recognized Cherokee territory.     

Google Earth软件在考古探测中的应用评析

Google Earth软件因其独特的视角、先进的性能、广泛的用途、低廉的价格决定了其在考古工作中大有作为,在探测研究历史文化遗产上将起到不可替代的重要作用。探讨Google Earth软件在考古学中运用的优缺点,以便更好地开发考古专用软件。     

计算机网络技术与考古学的未来发展

计算机网络技术的发展正在改变和影响着我们社会的各个方面。因此,计算机网络技术与考古学的紧密结 合,不仅将会对考古信息的认知和进一步的分析、整合提供强有力的工具,带给考古学以新的研究方法、手段,也将会 对考古学的未来发展产生意义深远的影响     

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”: Archaeology and Construction of Memory of Military Repression in South America (1960–1980)

During the era of dictatorships in Latin America, opposition was controlled by different methods—such as exile, detention, and murder. Repressive devices were reinforced by means of limiting information to ordinary people. Written sources on clandestine repression are scarce and fragmentary. As a matter of fact, most documents on the subject were destroyed by military regimes in recent past. Therefore, archaeological analyses might help us to shed light on repressive mechanisms, recovering missing people’s history and remains.     

Human impact and landscape utilization from the Mesolithic to medieval time traced by high spatial resolution pollen analysis and numerical methods

Pollen analysis in relation to archaeological excavations has been carried out by the coast of central Norway to investigate for the first time long-term human impact on the vegetation in this region. A total of 297 samples from eleven archaeological sites and connected bogs/peat profiles reveal the vegetation development from the Mesolithic until today. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to identify and elucidate the development through time and space, and the results of pollen diagrams from bogs are compared to the results of on-site pollen data. Human impact has transformed the vegetation to a varying degree in different time periods. A dense population connected to the shoreline is slightly visible as opening-up of the forest in the Mesolithic, whereas re-use of Mesolithic settlement sites for cultivation and grazing in the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age (from c. 2300 cal BC) is clearly documented by palaeobotany but weakly recorded in the archaeological record. Areas for settlement and cultivation are found from the Late Bronze and Iron Ages and pollen analysis contributes to a detailed picture of utilization of the landscape. The investigation shows the potential of combining archaeological and botanical data and analysing several small pollen sequences within an excavation area to reveal spatial patterns in vegetation development and human impact through time.     

An Ethnography of Teaching Archaeology

The purpose of this article is threefold. First, it refers to the ethics and logos of my courses in archaeology of the Near East and Israel attended by both Jewish and Arab students whose spatialisation of history and memory is different. The courses cover two periods: a—from prehistory to about 1,000 B.C; b—Christian and Muslim eras. Although these courses put much emphasis on Israel, the major sites of the Near East are well represented. Second, this article delineates some problems in the epistemology of Israeli archaeology, especially the slender consideration given to recent postmodern attitudes. Third, this article maps out an alternative way of teaching archaeology in contested regions such as Israel where different communities have their own mappings of the past. This alternative way provides the students with tools to evaluate the creation of knowledge about the past, and to reflect on their own social and relative positions in Israeli society. Dedicated to my teacher and friend, the late Prof. Moshe Kochavi     

穆斯堡尔谱技术在考古研究中的应用

穆斯堡尔谱技术是研究固体物质超精细相互作用的有效手段之一,与其它多种测试方法相比,穆斯堡尔谱方法以其高分辨率、高灵敏度、强抗干扰能力,及其对试样的无破坏性等而广泛应用于考古研究中。本文主要介绍穆斯堡尔谱技术在古陶制品、古瓷器及釉彩、古代铜制品及其他金属制品、古代壁画等考古研究中的应用,并对其发展进行评价与展望。