In 2022, to celebrate a century of existence, the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology (UMMAA) hosted an international conference to explore possibilities for a middle way: an archaeology for the next 100 years, combining humanistic and scientific approaches, which allows for both agents and systems, description and explanation, science and heritage. This volume is meant to be a snapshot of that conference and this moment in the development of the discipline. Included are most of the papers and posters presented, as well as photographs of the panels and the proceedings.
Category: Anthropological Papers
Tribal Pastoralists in Transition: The Baharvand of Luristan, Iran
Frank Hole and Sekandar Amanolahi-Baharvand
AP 100
In the spring of 1973, the Baharvand tribe from the Luristan province of central western Iran prepared to migrate from their winter pastures to their summer camp in the mountains. Seasonal migration in spring and fall had been their way of life for as long as anyone in the camp could remember. They moved their camp and their animals—sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, and chickens—in order to find green pastures and suitable temperatures. That year, one migrating family in the tribe allowed an outsider to make the trip with them.
Prehistoric Copper Mining in Michigan: The Nineteenth-Century Discovery of “Ancient Diggings” in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale
John R. Halsey
AP 99
Explorers in the nineteenth century found many pits and tools along rich copper seams in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula–evidence that prehistoric inhabitants mined copper there for thousands of years. John Halsey, former state archaeologist of Michigan, tells the story of those who discovered the ancient mines in this thorough and engaging tale.
The Himalayan Journey of Walter N. Koelz: The University of Michigan Himalayan Expedition, 1932–1934
Carla M. Sinopoli
AP 98
In the fall of 1932, University of Michigan naturalist Walter N. Koelz traveled to northwest India to lead a scientific collecting expedition in the rugged Himalayan regions of Western Tibet.
Culture Change in a Bedouin Tribe: The ‘arab al-Ḥǧerāt, Lower Galilee, A.D. 1790-1977
Rohn Eloul
AP 97
Against the historical dynamics of this complex region, this richly documented volume reconstructs the growth of the ‘arab al-Ḥǧerāt of the Galilee from some five herding households at the end of the Ottoman eighteenth century into a thriving sedentary tribe of regional importance nearly 200 years later.
The Last Pescadores of Chimalhuacán, Mexico: An Archaeological Ethnography
Jeffrey R. Parsons
AP 96
Based on his study of the nearly vanished aquatic economy of Chimalhuacán in the Valley of Mexico, Parsons describes the surviving vestiges of aquatic insect collection and fishing and considers their developmental and archaeological implications within a broad context of historical, ethnographic, biological, ecological, and archaeological information from Mexico, North and South America, the Near East, and Africa.
West African Early Towns: Archaeology of Households in Urban Landscapes
Augustin F.C. Holl
AP 95
West African Awdaghost (Tegdaoust) emerged as a vital medieval trade center before its decline in the sixteenth century AD. Extensively excavated and accompanied by a large body of published material, Awdaghost provides a unique opportunity for the application of household archaeology to a West African settlement.
Engaged Anthropology: Research Essays on North American Archaeology, Ethnobotany, & Museology
Michelle Hegmon, B. Sunday Eiselt
AP 94
This collection of essays is based on the 2005 Society for American Archaeology symposium and presents research that epitomizes Richard I. Ford’s approach of engaged anthropology.
Wrapped in Beauty: Koelz Collection of Kashmiri Shawls
Grace Beardsley in collaboration with Carla M. Sinopoli
AP 93
This richly illustrated volume examines the remarkable Kashmiri shawls of the Walter Koelz Collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology.
The Last Saltmakers of Nexquipayac, Mexico: An Archaeological Ethnography
Jeffrey R. Parsons
AP 92
In the 1980s, a few traditional saltmakers were still manufacturing several kinds of salt in the eastern Valley of Mexico. This in-depth study of the methodology of this dying craft includes a comparative study of pre-industrial saltmaking around the world and considers the implications of this knowledge for future archaeological research.
Ethnobiology at the Millennium: Past Promise and Future Prospects
Richard I. Ford
AP 91
A collection of papers from the Ethnobiology 2000 millennium conference in Ann Arbor.
Physical Attractiveness and the Theory of Sexual Selection: Results from Five Populations
Doug Jones
AP 90
In this fascinating study of five populations, author Doug Jones explores the possibility that hardwired into the human psyche are standards of beauty that are really preferences and signals for good health.
Caciques and Their People: A Volume in Honor of Ronald Spores
Joyce Marcus and Judith Francis Zeitlin
AP 89
A volume of essays by Mesoamerican scholars on topics ranging from Zapotec archaeology to Cuicatec irrigation and Mixtec codices to Aztec ethnohistory. Authors use a direct historical approach, the comparative method, or develop models that contribute to ethnological and archaeological theory.
Elements for an Anthropology of Technology
Pierre Lemonnier
AP 88
Renowned anthropologist Pierre Lemonnier presents a refreshing new look at the anthropology of technology: one that will be of great interest to ethnologists and archaeologists alike.
Wari Imperialism in Middle Horizon Peru
Katharina J. Schreiber
AP 87
More than 600 years before the Inka empire ruled the Andean region of South American, during the period known as the Middle Horizon, there were two complex societies: the Tiwanaku and the Wari. In this volume, Katharina J. Schreiber explores the problem of the Middle Horizon through archaeological research in two specific areas: the Carhuarazo Valley and the Jincamocco site. Foreword by Jeffrey R. Parsons.
The Behavioral Ecology of Efe Pygmy Men in the Ituri Forest, Zaire
Robert C. Bailey
AP 86
Robert C. Bailey reports on his observations of sixteen Efe Pygmy men in northeastern Zaire. Bailey lived and worked with the men and their families in the northern Ituri Forest from March 1980 to January 1982—his research was part of a multidisciplinary project called the Ituri Project. Bailey presents data on food production, subsistence behaviors, hunting techniques, relationships between hunters and village dwellers, and other aspects of the Efe society. Foreword by John D. Speth.
Profiles in Cultural Evolution: Papers from a Conference in Honor of Elman R. Service
A. Terry Rambo and Kathleen Gillogly
AP 85
The essays in this collection examine cultural evolution from diverse viewpoints. Topics include the evolution of complex societies in the tropics of South America, the role of prime movers in cultural evolution, and more.
Debating Oaxaca Archaeology
Joyce Marcus
AP 84
The essays in this collection examine a variety of topics within Oaxacan archaeology, from settlement and land use to scale and complexity.
Vertebrate Faunal Remains from Grasshopper Pueblo, Arizona
John W. Olsen
AP 83
Grasshopper Pueblo is a large fourteenth-century community in the forested Mogollon highlands of central Arizona. This book is an examination of the entire suite of animal remains from the site.
Maguey Utilization in Highland Central Mexico: An Archaeological Ethnography
Jeffrey R. Parsons and Mary H. Parsons
AP 82
The maguey plant plays a central role in cultural adaptation and cultural change in highland Mesoamerica. This book is a comprehensive study of the plant and its use. Includes chapters on maguey cultivation and pulque production, maguey fiber processing and spinning, and the archaeological implications of the available ethnographic and historic information about maguey utilization.
The Bridgeport Township Site: Archaeological Investigation at 20SA620, Saginaw County, Michigan
John M. O’Shea and Michael Shott
AP 81
Excavations at the Bridgeport Township site (20SA620) revealed a wealth of information about the Saginaw Valley’s prehistoric inhabitants. For roughly 3,000 years, from about 1500 BC to about AD 1500, people used this site.
Living in a Lean-To: Philippine Negrito Foragers in Transition
Navin K. Rai
AP 80
In this ethnographic study of the Agta, hunter-gatherers in the tropical rain forest of northeastern Luzon in the Philippines, Navin K. Rai documents a traditional society struggling to survive as their forest home is destroyed by outside forces. Foreword by Karl L. Hutterer.
The Foxie Otter Site: A Multicomponent Occupation North of Lake Huron
Christopher C. Hanks
AP 79
In this volume, the author reports on the excavation and interpretation of the Foxie Otter Site, a large archaeological site on Fox Lake in Ontario, Canada. This site, which was used by native people for about 7,000 years, contains one of the longest archaeological records in the Upper Great Lakes.
Protohistoric Yamato: Archaeology of the First Japanese State
Gina L. Barnes
AP 78
Protohistoric Yamato presents settlement data from Yamato, an ancient province that corresponds to present-day Nara Basin and the center of early Japanese civilization. Barnes also discusses urbanization, economic specialization, and state formation in protohistoric Japanese society.
Jumano and Patarabueye: Relations at La Junta de los Rios
J. Charles Kelley
AP 77
In this volume, author J. Charles Kelley uses historical, linguistic, and archaeological data to compare two indigenous North American cultures: the Patarabueyes and the Jumanos.