BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY
Bloomsburg
Pennsylvania
ANTHROPOLOGY NEWSLETTER
Vol. 10, No. 3
February l 98~
Department of Philosophy/Anthropology
Bloomsburg University's First Archaeological Field School: Dr. Elise
Brenner will conduct an archaeological field school this summer at
Bloomsburg University. The program will run from May 19 to July 3, 1986
and will be offered for 6 credits as 46,301, Field Archaeology. The
field program will provide students with an intensive research and
training experience. Field training in archaeological techniques will
be integrated with classroom lectures and exercises concerning the
prehistory of Pennsylvania, the principles of archaeological sampling,
mapping, and archaeological problem-solving. Field school students will
take an active part in data collection and interpretation during the
seven weeks of the field school.
The first year's field school project will be a systematic
archaeological survey and excavation, documenting the distribution and
variety of archaeological sites in Columbia County. Please see Elise
Brenner in 219 BCH (4334) for more details.
In Trouble Today: Brazil's Kayapo Indians: by Barb Emerick. The Kayapo
Indians are located in Brazil's .Amazon Basin. The Kayapo live in
13 villages encompassing some 3000 individuals; 3 of the villages fall under
a Brazilian Indian Reserve. Traditionally armed with clubs and bows and arrows,
the Kayapo are proud of their fighting ability. The symbol of the Kayapo male
was a light wooden lip disk and a penis sheath, both of which indicated manhood.
Today, the Kayapo wear shorts, carry guns and speak Portuguese, the Brazilian
national language; they find that the lip disks interfere with their new
language. Exposed to the outside world by the Brazilian gold rush, the
Kayapo are amazed by the white man's technological wealth. They are also
being overwhelmed by the consequences of that wealth.
For instance, the gold prospectors invaded in large numbers, taking
land and destroying water supplies. The Xingu River, once blue and a
source of fish, is now brown with sewage and chemical pollutants. Fishing
is no longer possible near Kayapo villages. Abandoned gold mines are filling
with stagnant water in which malaria-carrying mosquitos breed. Many other
pressures also impinge on the Kayapo. Missionaries have brought schools
which teach new values and a religion which teaches a new view of the supernatural.
The government is planning a road into Kayapo territory which will increase
the degree of contact; a hydroelectric project is also planned. The Kayapo
would like to share in the wealth of the outsiders, but not at the expense of
losing their native culture.
Brazilian Indians have formed a lobbying group to speak for them
called the Union of Indigenous Nations. But the future of Brazil's Indians
is a continuing struggle for their rights and their stand against development
pressures.

The Anthropologist's Cookbook: The following recipe is from Japan and is
called Azuki bean and endive soup.
10 oz. azuki beans, soaked overnight
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 whole Belgian endives
2 tblsps butter

1 tblsp sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Drain the beans and wash once more. Drain and place in large saucepan with
chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until beans
are mushy soft, about 45 minutes. Wash the endives and trim bottoms. Melt
the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is frothy, add the
endives and the sugar; brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the
lemon juice and 3 tblsps water, season with salt and pepper to taste, then
cover and cook until the endives are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain
the beans over a large bowl, reserving the fluid. Puree the beans and the
endives in a food processor, adding some liquid if necessary. Pour the puree
into a large saucepan, add some stock, correct the seasoning and heat. The
soup should have the consistency of a thin puree. Pour the soup in bowls,
garnish with watercress and very thin slices of raw endive. Makes 6 servings.
Forensic Anthropology: by Barb Emerick. Today, anthropologists are involved
in numerous facets of our society. They don't always live the glamorous life
of an Indiana Jones, but are ordinary individuals. For example, in Philadelphia,
medical examiners would not release the remains of several MOVE victims until
identification was made with the help of anthropologists from the University
of Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania. The anthropologists were able
to identify the remains of a girl who was placed between the ages of 13 and 15.
They helped identify people through pieces of clothing and age dating of bones.
They were also able to identify an individual through a broken toe he had
suffered as a youth. Amazing? No, just another anthropology adventure!
The Mummies of Qilakitsoq: by Barb Emerick. Bodies are nicely preserved in
Greenland's peat bogs. These mummified forms had been given elaborate funerals.
Archaeologists found 8 bodies, but wonder if all 8 died together. The bodies
were well dressed in sealskin trousers, anoraks, and boots stuffed with insulating
grass. Using the carbon-14 method, the archaeologists discovered the possible
year of death: 1475 AD. The two graves in which the bodies were found had the
bodies stacked one on top of the other. The best preserved body was that of a
6 month old child.
It was possilie to determine the sex and the age of the bodies through various
pieces of evidence. Sex was determined by genital remains and x-rays of pelvic
bones. Facial tattoos and clothing also helped to determine sex. Age was
detected by dental development and physical characteristics. Some of the
mummies were well enough preserved to have fingerprints, palms prints, and
prints of the soles of their feet.
It has been more difficult to determine the causes of death. The infant
may have been orphaned and then d ied of malnutrition. One body showed signs of
cancer. In the remains of one female, food traces and fecal remains could be
identified. Among the items found were traces of evergreen wood, a mystery since
evergreens do not grow on Greenland. Also found were high levels of soot in
the lungs, characteristic of the seal blubber lamps that were used at that time.

--

An Anthropological Adventure: by Art Sweeney. Adventure! When one combines
that word with the words "anthropologist" and "archaeologist", the image
one conjures up is of ruins rising in the distance or natives running after
you with poisoned spears. Anything remotely normal would be the furthest
thing from your mind. One would never consider a trip to Washington, D.C,
an adventure for an anthropologist or archaeologist, but that was what it was
when two of the anthropology faculty
and four undergraduates attended the
I
1985 American Anthropological Association meetings this past December.
The AAA meetings were held at the Washington Hilton. Those attending
from BU were faculty members Elise Brenner and Dave Minderhout and students
Gabrielle Davidson, Mark Ennes, Deb Hackenburg and Art Sweeney. Feelings were
low as Friday's departure arrived accompanied by three inches of snow with
more on the way, With determination in their ~yes, the daring crew forged
its way south through treacherous roads and blizzard conditions - which
eventually turned to. a sunny 45 degrees as D.C. approached,
After registering with both the hotel and the convention officials,
the main activity of the weekend began - attending sessions. Subject matter
was so various that deciding which talk to attend was difficult. Papers
dealing with new social approaches to archaeology, witchcraft, and women's
roles were just a few of the topics. Big names in the field were also
scheduled to speak, including Marvin Harris, David Mccurdy, and Richard
Leakey. Bloomsburg's own Elise Brenner presented a paper dealing with
capitalism and the fur trade in North America.
This year's meeting put forth many new ideas and also gave a few of
Bloomsburg's students a new experience in their areas of interest. Adventures
such as this one are part of what anthropology is all about - a learning
experience.
Alumni Questionnaire: As part of its department evaluation, the anthropology
faculty sent questionnaires to all majors or minors who graduated between 1981
and 1985 (An earlier study had been done in 1981 covering the years between 1968
and 1981). Addresses were located for 33 former students; 15 replied, None
had gone on to graduate school in anthropology, and so the respondents were
working at a variety of positions from sales representative to nurse to therapist
in a mental health center. Most reported that they felt that the strength of
the program was good classroom teaching, though specific courses and the Southwest
Tour were also mentioned. Weaknesses included not enough field trips or hands-on
experience, the absence of an anthropology club• too few courses in physical
anthropology, and low visibility in the university. When asked what change they
would make in the current program if they could, a variety of answers was
given including enlarge the department, more field studies, a graduate program,
and making anthropology mandatory for certain majors in other fields. All of
the respondents felt that anthropology had benefited them, primarily by expanding
their view of the world and making them less ethnocentric; all felt they
understood the people they worked or lived with better because of anthropology.
The anthropology faculty will be attempting to inauguarate programs to meet
the criticisms raised in the questionnaires, An anthropology club was formed
last fall, and the students in it are making plans for field trips and conference
visits, The new archaeology program is providing multiple opportunities for
direct field experience. New courses to meet specific needs are being drawn
up, Unfortunately, some of the proposed changes, like hiring a fourth
anthropologist, are out of our hands. But look for continued changes in the
future.