Advances in Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology

Ceramic ethnoarchaeology has developed considerably since Kramer's (Kramer, 1985, Annual Review of Anthropology 14: 77–102) review. More sophisticated readings of social theory and analyses that consider multiple variables and levels of variability have led to better understandings of social boundaries. Perceptions of ceramic change are becoming increasingly sophisticated, thanks to more long-term projects as well as research that takes advantage of new opportunities, including historic collections and nontraditional settings. The newly developing ethnoarchaeology is contributing to general anthropological understandings of material culture and society.     

Aggregation Decomposition and Aggregation Guidelines for a Class of Minimax and Covering Location Models

Facility location problems often involve movement between facilities to be located and customers/demand points, with distances between the two being important. For problems with many customers, demand point aggregation may be needed to obtain a computationally tractable model. Aggregation causes error, which should be kept small. We consider a class of minimax location models for which the aggregation may be viewed as a second‐order location problem, and use error bounds as aggregation error measures. We provide easily computed approximate “square root” formulas to assist in the aggregation process. The formulas establish that the law of diminishing returns applies when doing aggregation. Our approach can also facilitate aggregation decomposition for location problems involving multiple “separate” communities.     

Polarized light microscopy casts new light on plants used to make tapa

Information about plant materials of construction in artefacts advances knowledge about human history, agriculture, trade, migration and adaptation to new environments. Typically, materials identification in artefacts made from plants is problematic, since processing, age, dirt and surface treatments can mask identifying features, while ethical considerations relating to sampling limit the use of some analytical techniques. The study tests the usefulness of polarized light microscopy for identifying the New Zealand and Pacific plant species used to make tapa, indicating birefringent and morphological characteristics that can be used to differentiate fibres at the level Moraceae (Pacific; from genera Artocarpus, Broussonetia and Ficus) and Malvaceae (New Zealand; from genera Hoheria and Plangianthus).     

‘We Can Always Go Back Home’: critical lessons in helping to safeguard and promote the Singing and Praying Bands living tradition

Abstract

The article examines the process of promoting, with a view to safeguarding, the centuries-old Singing and Praying Bands living tradition, an African American musical and spiritual expression that is distinctive to the Chesapeake Bay region of the US. Discussed within the context of US public folklore, the process is understood as a co-intervention, representing an active partnership between the Bands’ community and public folklorists (including the authors) in attempting to reach new members as a means of keeping it alive. The article underscores the need for ‘bottom-up’ approaches in safeguarding living cultural traditions, bringing to light the potential strengths of public folklore work and the benefits its theories and methodologies can bring to the intangible cultural heritage discourse. Moreover, it analyses how community agency has been exercised, and community needs accommodated, through the dialogue-driven, collaborative intervention process. It also investigates how a nuanced view of ‘authenticity’ has been shaped, with regard to changes the living tradition has undergone, and is currently understood by those who embody it.