r l September 2000 ANTHROPOS The Department of Anthropology Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania The State System of Higher Education Mayan City Discovered In early September, archaeologists working in Guatemala announced the discovery of an enormous Maya trading center that flourished during the 8th century AD. Project director Arthur Demarest of Vanderbilt University says that the new site rivals the central acropolis at the famous ruins of Tikal, also in Guatemala. The site, named Cancuen, was originally noted in 1905, and it was partially mapped by a team from Harvard in the 1960's. The prevailing opinion had been that this was a minor site of no great importance. But when Demarest surveyed the site this past spring, he realized that it was much more significant than originally thought. For example, the central palace at the site is three stories tall and contains 1 70 rooms built around 11 courtyards. Demarest has been struck by the general affluence of the site, noting that even the graves of commoners contain finely painted ceramic pots and jewelry. He also notes the absence of any fortifications or any other sign of war. There are also no temples, a dominant feature of most Mayan sites. Demarest believes that Cancuen was a trade center during the Mayan "classic period" from 250 to900AD. The site was completely covered by jungle when Demarest visited it this spring. So far, he has mapped the site and done preliminary excavations. Because most buildings are made of limestone, they are still standing. He hopes to further his work this coming year. Inside this issue: An Excursion to Belize 2 Native American Rights 3 Archaeology Rocks! 5 Archaeology at Camp Victory 6 An Internship at the Philadelphia Zoo 7 Former Students Excel 8 A/Os in Africa 8 Special points of interest: • Anthropology students' summer projects Students Doing Anthropology In this first issue of ANTHROPOS for the 2000-2001 year, we are highlighting the summer activities of our anthropology students, many of whom were involved in interesting internships, independent studies, and research projects. Every anthropology major at Bloomsburg University is required to have a "handson'' experience in the discipline before graduation. Anthropology students have taken to this requirement with enthusiasm. • Migrant Community Project This student research will lead to even more professional opportunities. For example, the students who were involved in the Camp Victory archaeology project (see page 6) will present a panel at the Society for American Archaeology. • Dr. Dauria on TV • Native Americans assert their rights • Faculty Office Hours-p. 9 An Excursion to Belize by I stood in the humid jungle beaded with perspiration and assaulted by hoards of mosquitoes. The heat was like a weight on my shoulders, but I barely noticed. In front of me stood a Maya temple draped with a rich mantle of green foliage. Suddenly my vision blurred, my hearing faded into a droning buzz, and my body collapsed. I thought, "What the hell am I doing here?" It had all started a few weeks before. I am a senior anthropology major, and I needed to satisfy my practicum requirement. After some research, I found an Fl @A phy, and camp history, we were divided up and assigned to various excavation crews. I was.assign to the site core, an area of approximately 20 buildings. Specifically, I participated in the excavation of structures 24, 21, and 15. About half the core's buildings had been looted with some major structures having as many as 9 looters' trenches. The most awesome of the structures was 24, the Temple of the Obsidian Warrior. This temple dated to the classic period. On our second day of exca- from the village of San Felipe. Everyday I worked along side Wilber, Mandito, and Ricky, who along with 3 other volunteers made up our "jungle crew." The San Felipeans are skilled field technicians, some of whom have worked for six years on similar projects. When I first met these men, I had little idea of the impact they would make on my life. They taught me many Page 2 Jennifer Spease organization that studies the ancient Maya civilization in Central America. So, I traveled to Belize and met up with the Maya Research Program (MRP). MRP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of Maya culture. Their work centers on the Blue Creek site in the Orange Walk district of Belize. This is a small Maya ceremonial center. It is located near the junction of three river systems which form the Rio Hondo, a large river that empties into the Caribbean; it is thought to have been an important Maya trade route. The Blue Creek site is composed of :- ·- a aa vations, we found a ritual cache that was at least 1000 years old. It was in a stone-lined crypt under the stairs on the eastern side, and it consisted of a large inverted ceramic vessel, surrounded by multiple fragments of a single ceramic pot, strategically placed both above and below the intact vessel. Beneath the vessel were tubular jade beads. Practicing practical archaeology proved to be a great learning experience, but it proved to be of secondary things. Among these lessons were their concepts of caring, dedication, sharing, and communication. I remember countless times they ran to my rescue as I looked exhausted; they weren't even perspiring. They shared their food with me at lunch, and when they found artifacts, they secretly passed them on to me so I could "find" them myself. It was this genuine concern for my happi- three plaza groups, each with various collections of temples, a palace, and a ballcourt. The area was first occupied by Maya farmers around 1500 BC, and ritual buildings were first constructed 2000 years ago. By the classic period, the site had become an elaborate architectural complex containing temples 40 feet tall; these were the social and political centers of the Maya elite. Excavations at this site are primarily funded by people like myself - volunteers who wish to learn how Maya archaeology is conducted. After a day of general orientation, regional geogra- um .JCS "On the second day of excavations, we found a ritual - cache that was at least 1000 years old." importance compared to getting to know the local Belizeans. Each excavation crew included locals ness and well-being that was quite amazing because, in my experience, this attitude is not common among Americans. I began to see my co-workers as people with whom I had a strong bond. Their work ethic was intense, and I learned from them to do every bit of work with maximal dedication. Seeing how hard (continued on page 4) ANTHROPOS Native American Rights Most people in the United States are familiar with the broad outlines of what happened to Native Americans after contact with Europeans. As countless movies have shown, Native Americans lost their lives and land through disease or warfare. Most ended up on reservations, where they lived in desolate poverty. However, reservation life was only the beginning of the story for Native Americans. U.S. government policy in the late 19th and early 20th century was based on assimilation, the idea that Native Americans should lose their cultural distinctiveness and become like other working class Americans. To this end, Native American crafts and religious ceremonies were banned in the 19th century, and Native Americans were prohibited from visiting their sacred sites. Boarding schools for Native American children banned the use of native languages. The Allotment Act of 1887 broke up extended families on reservations as an effort to promote nuclear families and concepts of private property. The Allotment Act also allowed non-Indians the right to lease reservation land; many Native Ameri- cans were forced to turn to this as a source of income. Congress retained mineral rights on reservation land; income from minerals went to the government. Legal Changes The legal status of Native Americans began to change with the election of Franklin· Roosevelt as president in 1932. Native Americans were allowed again to practice some of their customs , and Native American children were allowed to attend day schools on reservations. The basic policy, however, remained one of assimilation. In the 1970's, Native Americans began to assert their cultural distinctiveness, and they began to win legal pro- tection for their cultures. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 gave Native Americans access to sacred sites and the right to practice their traditional religious ceremonies. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1982 barred the disturbance of Indian grave sites and gave Indians control over human remains and cultural items on federal and tribal land. Skeletal material and cultural artifacts held in museums had to be repatriated to Native Americans if The Native American Graves Protection & Repatriation Act of 1982 barred the disturbance of Indian grave sites. direct cultural affiliation could be shown between a contemporary tribe and a museum collection. lshi 's Brain Repatriation can take many forms. This past summer, the Yana Indians of California were given the brain of Ishi, the last remaining Y ahi Indian, who was discovered by miners in northern California in 1911. Ishi became the object of intense study by anthropologists, most notably Alfred Kroeber, and Ishi lived in the Museum of Anthropology at Berkeley until his death from pneumo- nia in 1913. The U.S. government claimed Ishi's body over Kroeber's protests and preserved parts of it, including the brain. The specimen was then lost in the Smithsonian's vast collection. Recently, Valerie Wheeler, an anthropologist at Cal State Sacramento, helped the Yana track down Ishi's brain in the collection. The Yana gave the brain a culturally appropriate burial Page 3 Miami Land Rights Another direction that Native Americans have taken to assert their rights in the last 30 years has been to file claims to traditional lands originally guaranteed them under treaties signed with the U.S. government in the 19th century. For example, the Miami Indians have sued the federal government for their native lands granted to them in 1805 by the Jefferson administration. The claim is for 2.6 million acres in eastern Illinois. The federal government did not abide by the treaty, re- moving the Miami to a reservation in Oklahoma. In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act which voided all treaties made with Native Americans living east of the Mississippi. The Miami claim is that their original treaty should not have been invalidated and that the land guaranteed to them should be returned. Of course, the land in question currently ·is owned by nonIndians, many of whom have held the land for several generations. To date, the state of Illinois has dismissed the suit, believing that what the Miami really want is the right to build casinos. Casinos on Native American land have been an important source of income, but the Miamis deny any interest in casinos. □ Other Cases Many other Native Americans have cases pending against state and federal governments. In New York, the Oneida tribe has long fought in court to reclaim 250,000 acres of tribal land. The state and federal government have offered a payment of $500,000 as compensation for land lost. In New Mexico, the people of Sandia Pueblo are claiming Sandia Mountain in suburb~n Albuquerque under a 252year-old grant from the king of Spain. In South Dakota, the Lakota, in the oldest land dispute brought to court by any tribe, have for 20 yearn refused a proposed payment of $106 million for the Black Hills, ceded to them by treaty in 1869. The Lakota were driven out of the Black Hills in the 1870's by settlers and gold miners. The 1869 treaty between the Lakota and the U.S. promises the land will be the Lakotas' 'llS long as the water flows and the grass grows." The Mohicans have sued for the return of 6000 acres in New York between Syracuse and Utica. Belize Continued ... they worked helped me to complete long and demanding days of physical labor because I had their example to follow. The most surprising thing for me was the way we were able to communicate. I was not able to speak Spanish, and they spoke little Engli~ yet it seemed we communicated very well. Ricky and I could barely speak to each other, but we shared some of the purest laughter and delight. Actually, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in a11 my life. The innocence of communication absent of verbal language was truly amazing. Overal4 the simplicity oflife in rural Belize and living in non-pampered conditions at camp are what made this experience so wonderful. Because of the strenuous conditions, interpersonal relationships were able to intensify. The environment added exotic elements such as the spider and howler monkeys (which, by the way, do not howl-they roar!) which accentuated this adventure. Interacting with the local people and experiencing nature in the jungle gave me treasures to value for the rest of my life. As I write this, my heart is drawn there. Page4 Archaeology Rocks! This past summer, anthropology major Tina Hut.chinson created an exhibit about local archaeology for the Children's Museum at the Caldwell Consiatry in Bloomsburg. In collaboration with her internship adviser, Dr. Wymer, Tina created a prehistoric house with a "dig box" inside that featured local artifacts that a:mld be "excavated" and interpreted by schoolchildren. In addition, enlarged photographs from the university field school excavations at the Streater and Zehner sites were enhanced with text that encouraged children and adult.a alike to appreciate the science of archaeology and the rich prehistory of this region. Ti.no also acted as a docent through the months of June and July, working with museum staff members and teaching groups of school children who visited the museum. Anthropology major Ann Fisher conducted an intensive examination of the prehistoric artifacts owned by the C on Wheels program. These programs consisted of putting on an animal conservation show with live animals for the visitors. We used snakes, frogs, turtles, lizards, and a few mammals. The last rotation was spent in Animal Care. This was a fun rotation because we constantly moved through different tasks. The day started with any cleaning that needed doing in the building where the education department's Most of our collateral duties were assigned while in this rotation My favorite was Squirrel Wat.ch, which was exactly what it sounds like--watching a squirrel to make sure she didn't jump out of her exhibit. This exhibit is in the and touched, interns would answer questions and comment on the features of the items we had, such as the five digits on primate hands and feet. thropology community. My experience interning at the zoo this summer is one I'm never going to forget. This experience has definitely influenced my plans for my career. These experiences also helped me to realize that I belong working in the an- If you are interested, I have placed a picture album of my zoo experiences in the archaeology lab in G05 OSH. I am also arranging a trip to the zoo on Saturday, October 7 for the Anthropology Club and other interested student.a and faculty. There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board outside G05 OSH. ANTHROPOS Former Students Excel Marissa Barrett, a 1999 BU graduate and former anthropology major, is in her first year of graduate school at New Mexioo Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexioo. She is pursuing a M.A in Southwestern Cultural Studies through the Department of Anthropology there. She has been awarded a tuition and fee waiver and is working as the teaching assistant in an undergraduate course in cultural anthropology. Steve Gushue, a 2000 graduate, is working as an archaeologist at the Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, Wyoming. His present duties include maintaining a cultural resource base and the base's archaeological archives. His future duties include fieldwork related t.o cultural resource management. He obtained his position through the Student Conservation Corps. Darrell Gundrum, a 1989 graduate and an anthropology instructor at BU in 1997-98, was appointed base archaeologist at Fort Erwin Army Base in the Mojave Desert near Barstow, CA Darrell oversees an inventory of other 800 archaeological sites and is charged with their preservation and study. He man- ages a staff of 3 archaeologists and a budget of more than $800,000. Darrell reports that the base oontains a rich trove of archaeological sites that represents the earliest inhabitants of North America through the contact period with Europeans. His job is made more difficult than most archaeological positions-and definitely more exciting-by the fact that many of the sites he must investigate are littered with unexploded munitions from tank warfare exercises. Members of the bomb squad are his constant oompanions in the field. AIDS in Africa AIDS was first recognized in Subsaharan Africa in 1982. Since that time, epidemiologists have realized that the disease has been spreading there at an alarming rate. In 1999, 2.6 million people died of AIDS world-wide, with 85% of the deaths occurring in Subsaharan Africa. Africa has 4.8% of the world's population, but an estimated 50% of the world's cases of AIDS. This terrible problem is exacerbated by the poor economic conditions in Africa: 18 of the world's 20 poorest nations are found there. Epidemiologists believe that AIDS originated in Africa, perhaps having been spread from monkeys or apes to humans. But in 1999, journalist Edward Hooper in his book, The River, argued that AIDS was introduced into Africa by contaminated polio vaccine, given in trials to a million people in Africa between 1957 and 1960. Hooper believes that the vaccine was cultured in the bodies of lab chimpanzees that were infected with simian HIV. In September, an international conference convened in Philadelphia to review the data on the origins of AIDS and Hooper's theory. Researchers report that Hooper's theory cannot be supported by the data. Tests done on the vaccines used in 1960 (they had been frozen and stored) showed no sign of HIV, nor did field samples taken from chimpanree populations in the sample area. It was also reported that old medical specimens taken from Africans in the 1950's show signs of HIV. Dr. Dauria on TV Dr. Sue Dauria was a Special Guest on Albany Public Television's (WMHT-Channel 17) Upstate Edition program on May 26 and 27, 2000. Upstate Edition features stories of interest to New York state residents. The May 26th piece aired several days before the premiere of the documentary ''Historic Views of the Carpet City: Amsterdam, New York," in which Dr. Dauria was featured and for which she served as a consultant. The documentary premiered June 1, 2000 with showings on June 4 and 17, July 6, 11 and 18. It was produced by Steve Dunn, an award winning documentary filmmaker, and Bob Cudmore, a radio talkshow personality and SUNY press author. Upstate Edition host Gary Carter discussed the making of the documentary and high- lighted current issues in the community in the programs of May 26 and 27. Other featured guests were Bob Cudmore and John Duchessi, the mayor of Amsterdam. Dr. Dauria's dissertation was about deindustrialization and the changing face of labor in Amsterdam. Page 8 The State System of Higher Education Department of Anthropology Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 400 E. 2nd Street Bloomsburg University ANTHROPOS, the Anthropology Newsletter, is published six times during the academic year and is mailed to interested students, faculty, administrators, and alumni. It is also distributed in anthropology classes and made available on the department's home page. If you would like to be on the newsletter mailing list, please contact Dr. Dave Minderhout at the address and numbers on the left. Dr. David Minderhout, Editor Phone: 570-389-4859 Fax: 570-389-5015 Email: dminderh@bloomu.edu We're On lhe Web! WWw.bloomu.edu/ depar1men1s/ anlhro / The Department of Anthropology offers a 36 credit B.A degree and a 18 credit minor in anthropology. If you would like details, please see any of the anthropology faculty. Anthropology is the study of humans Faculty Office Hours: Dr. Tom Aleto (X4334): Dr. Faith Warner (X4334): MW3-4 M 5:30-6:30 Tu 1:45-4 Tu 4:45-6:15 Th 1:45-2:30 WF2-3 Dr. Sue Dauria (X4952): Dr. Dee Anne Wymer (X4858): MWF 10-11 MWF 11-12 TuTh 9: 15-11 TuTh 10:45-11:45 Dr. Dave Minderhout (X4859): . MWF 8:30-12 TuTh 12-2 Tu 6-6:30PM The department secretary is Janet Locke. She is available (x4860) MWF 812 and TuTh 8:30-12:30 in G05 OSH.