BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY Bloomsburg Pennsylvania ANTHROPOLOGY NEWSLETTER Vol. 12, No. 3 February 1988 Department of Philosophy/Anthropology Meet the New Faculty!: There are two new anthropology faculty members at Bloomsburg Un~verslty for the Spring 1988 semester. l Dr. Flora Church ls replacing Professor Reeder while he ls on sabbatical for the spring semester. Dr. Church comes to us from Ohio State University where she completed her Ph.D. ln March 1987. Her dissertation research ls ln archaeology, but she has interests In physical anthropology as well. Her dissertation focused on the transition from the Late Woodland to Late Prehistoric cultures ln the Central Scioto Valley ln Ohio, a time period which stretches from 500 AD to 1250 AD. She also has interests ln the Lowland Maya and formative Mesoamerica. She has had an extensive background in classroom instruction at Ohio State and comes to us highly rec01I111ended by both her former students and her teaching colleagues. Professor Kim Lanphear was hired to teach additional introductory sections ln anthropology for the spring semester. Ms. Lanphear taught at the State University of New York at Albany and Sklctnore College before Joining us. She ls completing her dissertation at SUNY-Albany, focusing on a paleopathological and demographic study of 300 skeletons excavated from a 19th century American poorhouse In Rochester, New York. Her maJor area of Interest ls in the prehistory and history of human disease. She has a background In both physical anthropology, prlmarlly osteology, and archaeology. She also was highly rec01I111ended to us as a popular and effective instructor. We hope that both Flora and Klm will have an enJoyable and productive semester at Bloomsburg. Surmner Field Schoo! in Archaeoiogy: The anthropology program will be sponsoring lts second summer field school ln archeology from May 16 to July 1. The seven week field school will focus on research In Columbia County; the proJect will produce the first systematic survey of archaeological sites in this region. Students will receive Instruction ln archaeological survey and excavation, sampling strategies, mapping,. recording techniques, analysis and Interpretation. In addition to field experience, students will be given classroom presentations on the culture history of Pennsylvania, the natural history of the area, archaeological problem solving and hypothesis testing. The Field School ls offered as 46.301, Field Archaeology, for either 3 or 6 credits. Those Interested In more Information should contact Elise Brenner at 4334. 2. The Garbage ProJect: While most archaeologists have concentrated on the human past, one group of researchers at the University of Arizona has focused on the present by conducting a carefully controlled study of household wastes in Tucson. This work, which ls under the supervision of William RathJe, ls used to teach sampling techniques to archaeology students and to test the validity of assumptions made by archaeologists about human waste In historic and prehistoric sites. The work has also been used to test the validity of research techniques used by other social scientists. The research so far shows a significant difference between what people tell researchers and what they actually do. For instance, one study In Tucson in 1973, designed to learn the rate of alcohol consumption In the city, used a questionnaire to demonstrate that 15% of respondent households acinitted consuming beer, and none acinltted drinking more than 8 cans a week. Analysis of the garbage from the same area, however, showed that 80% of the households consumed beer, and 50% discarded more than 8 cans per week. Another Interesting finding of the proJect was that when beef prices hit an all-time high ln 1973, so dld the amount of beef, wasted by Tucson households. The same relationship occurred ln 1975 when sugar became scarce. If lt could be true that people waste more In times of scarcity, this could lead to a reinterpretation of past human sites. More recently, Rathje has challenged assumptions about contemporary garbage made by a cOD1Dentator In the New York Times. In a letter to the Times on January 26, 1988, RathJe says the writer was mistaken when he assumed that styrofoam fast-food packaging was the maJor culprit In growing urban waste. RathJe reports that his research ln Tucson (now expanded to Include samples In Chicago and San Francisco) shows that styrofoam packaging accounts for only .27% of garbage by volume. This contrasts with the popular perception of the situation ln which respondents report that fast-food packaging accounts for between 5 and 35%. By canparlson, newspapers, which are easily recyclable, account for 14.11% of waste by volume. By canparlson with fast-food packaging, disposable baby diapers represent a much larger problem, accounting for 1.01% of waste by volume. A proposed bill In the New York City Council to control fast-food wastes will, therefore, have little Impact on urban waste problems. Predictably, Rathje sums up hls work as follows: •It was not a pleasant task, but someone had to dolt.• Anthropology Club News: The Anthropology Club has reorganized for the spring semester with Denise Etrls serving as president. The Club has a full slate of actlvltles for the spring. On February 3, the Club ls sponsoring a movie on apartheid, •south Africa Belongs to Us, in the Kehr Union Multipurpose Room Cat 7:30 PM. On February 4, the Club ls sponsoring a cross-cultural feast with the International Club at Faith Warner~s house. On February 20, the Club will travel to Penn State University to view the Anthropology Museum there Csee Elise Brenner for more details). On March 23rd, the Club will sponsor the movie, •songs of the Fourth World,• about the Hopi Indians ln KUB Multipurpose Room C at 7:30. Finally, there are plans caning together for an overnight trip to Washington, D.C. on the 3rd or 4th weekend in March. If you are 11 3. interested ln Jolnlng and partlclpatlng ln these actlvltles, please see Denise or any of the anthropology faculty. The AnthcopoJoglst's Cookbook: This Greek Island recipe produces a pastry that ls an Easter treat called Melltera. The pastry ls essentially a miniature cheese cake made like a Jam tart. For the pastry: 8 oz of flour 4 to 6 oz of butter 2 or 3 tbsp of cold water Rub butter Into flour and add cold water. Knead gently until flour and butter are incorporated, taking care not to handle the pastry too much. Roll out on a floured board to a thickness of about 1/4 cm. Cut out the cases with a heavy glass tumbler. For the fllllng: 8 8 oz cottage cheese or curd cheese oz of sugar eggs 2 or 3 oz of flour 1/2 tsp van i I 1a 2 Blend the cheese and sugar In a llquldlzer. Add two well-beaten eggs and flour, blending as we11. Add vanilla. Place a spoonful of cheese mixture on each pastry case, which must either be pinched around the sides to prevent cheese from spilling out or placed in Jam tart tins. Sprinkle tarts with a little sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350. Margaret Kenna, the anthropologist who provided this recipe, adds this co111I1entary: 11 As there were no Jam tart tins Con the island), the tarts were given sides by pinching the pastry together at intervals until the mixture was held In a star-shaped container. The pastry-pinching gave rise to a lot of teasing and giggling about who liked to be pinched where and by whom, and this led on to a discussion of the ethics and aesthetics of various methods of contraception practiced on the lsland. 1 From: The AnthropoJoglst's Cookbook, edited by Jessica Kuper, New York: Universe Books, 1977, pp 34-36. Donald Johanson Comes to Bloomsburg: The physical anthropologist and author Donald Johanson will speak at Bloomsburg on February 29. Johanson ls the discoverer of 1 Lucy, 11 an early human ancestor generally labeled Australopithecus afarensis, as well as the author of the best-selling book of the same name. While final plans have not yet been realized for his presentations, lt ls understood by the BU anthropology faculty that Dr. Johanson will speak to one class during the day, talk Informally with faculty and Interested students later that day, and make a formal presentation In the evening of the 29th. The Anthropology Club will be providing publicity for the talks once final plans are made. Mental Retardation In Iclbal &Peasant socletles: When BU anthropologists talk about chl1d rearing In other cultures, we are often asked about the care of mentally retarded children in other cultures. 4. This ls a frustrating question to face since there ls almost no literature ln anthropology on mental retardation ln other cultures. In fact, in an lnterestlng reversal of the usual popular conception of anthropology, there ls more written on mental retardation in the Unlted States by anthropologists than for other cultures. In a survey of 20 Introductory texts on cultural anthropology, Dave Minderhout discovered none that dealt with this topic. As a result, Dave decided to survey the anthropological literature using the Human Relations Area Flies and available ethnographic literature to see what might be found. In the literature available, Dave found 60 references to mental retardation In other cultures. In the maJorlty of these cases, the mentally retarded were treated kindly, usually being kept within their families and given life-long care. Generally, the mentally retarded are not allowed to marry, hold property, or assume titles or positions of authority in their societies. Occasionally, the mentally retarded as viewed as a special gift fran the gods. One South American Indian culture, the Guarani, say that the mentally retarded are created by god, conceived without sexual relations between the parents; these people are treated with special affection. Egyptian villagers refer to the mentally retarded as •saints•, while Tibetans looked at them as a special reincarnation and trled to interpret their actions as having special meanings. Occasionally, there are references in the anthropological llter~ture to the mentally retarded being abused or ridiculed. A few cultures view mental retardation as a kind of demon possession, and one, the Saulteaux of North America, killed retarded persons to destroy the demon. Generally, however, the retarded are seen as presenting no special problems for their families and are treated well. There are sane Interesting cases ln the literature that are worth describing in greater detail. In six cases fran Africa and Melanesia there were reports that the retarded were believed to be compulsive wanderers, going £ran house to house, doing odd Jobs. These people generally stayed with relatives as they traveled and were treated with great care. Fran Cambodia canes an example where a retarded child was crowned the 'King of Angkor• by hls peers and was carried In a parade with great ceremony. Finally, the Tlv of West Africa had a custom whereby chiefs used mentally retarded persons as messengers, especially ln cases where a person was being sunmoned to appear at court. The messenger would deliver a memorized sunmons, and the person being summoned was forced to appear without any knowledge of the state of mind of the chief or the circumstances of the sumnons, It being thought to be useless to question a retarded person. Bog Man Interpreted: The January 26, 1988 Issue of the New York Times contains an article about research conducted on the body of a man believed to be 2200 years old which was pulled £ran a peat bog near Manchester, England. Historic and prehistoric bodies are occasionally discovered ln peat deposits ln England, Ireland, and the Scandinavian countries. The chemical properties of the acidic peat dissolve the bones of people burled there, but they may preserve the flesh and other soft body tissue. Once unearthed, the bodies begin to decay rapidly, s. but chemical techniques exist to halt the decay process. The body In question was of a young man, who had had his throat cut, his windpipe crushed, and his face held under water. Despite this, researchers decided on the basis on the facial expression and the condition of muscle tissue at death that the man went voluntarily to his death. Subsequent research has focused on Interpreting what had happened. Researchers believe that the man was not an ordinary citizen of the agricultural society to which he belonged. He seemed to be ln good health at the time of his death, and he lacked calluses on his hands, suggesting that he had not been a laborer. The key to lnterpretlng his death was his stomach contents, hls last meat having been a scorched bannock cake. It ls known from historic sources that Celtic culture used bannock bread in a ritual manner to select candidates by lot for special purposes. A griddle cake of bannock was prepared, with one edge being burned. The cake would then be broken Into pieces, which were then placed In a bag. Candidates would draw pieces from the bag, and the one with the burned piece would be chosen. In this case, the selection appears to have been for ritual sacrifice. Certain Celtic gods were propitiated by human sacrifice, the manner of death Indicating the god involved. The god Tarainis was traditionally honored by beheading or bludgeoning; the god Esus called for a cut throat; and Teutates was honored by drownings. The young man whose body was recovered was so highly thought of that he was offered ln sacrifice to all three of these gods.