Anthropology Commons^™

The Poetics Of The Ancestor Songs Of The Tz’Utujil Maya Of Guatemala, Linda O’Brien-Rothe Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

This essay attempts to define the relationship between a song tradition that survives in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala, and 16th century poetic Mayan literature. This song tradition of Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala is slowly disappearing as the socio-cultural context in which it flourished changes. By comparing the poetics of the song texts (including their rhythmic structure, versification, and use of poetic devices such as assonance, alliteration and onomatopoeia) to the poetics of the Popol Vuh, a K’iché Maya text probably copied from a manuscript that predates the Spanish invasion, a continuity is discovered that places the song texts squarely within …

Dani Rodrik. One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions And Economic Growth. Princeton, Nj: Princeton University Press, 2007., Mukti Upadhyay Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

No abstract provided.

Participant/Observer Vol. 3. No. 1 Spring 2010, Anthropology Department

Participant/Observer

A Newsletter for Friends of the Western Michigan University Department of Anthropology

Table of Contents:

• WMU Anthropologist and NSF Awardee, Bilinda Straight is Featured Author at Conference on Global Health and Violence
• Letter from the Chair
• Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project: 2009 Field Season Summary
• Kalamazoo Valley Museum hosts RACE exhibit
• A Magic Field Season in the Eocene of Wyoming
• Mastodon Bones Identified in Biological Anthropology Lab
• In The Spotlight: Brent Metz is the Distinguished Alumni Award winner
• Meet LouAnn Wurst
• News from the Lewis Walker Institute
• Conference Participation
• Faculty News
• Mammoth in Allegan County
• Alumni News

Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2010, Department Of Anthropology

Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Vol. 1. No. 1.
For friends of Western Michigan University’s Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project

Table of Contents:

• Letter from the Principal Investigator of the project
• What we do in the “off” season
• Laboratory Updates
• Undergraduate Perspectives: David Lang & Kelly Schulze
• Student News
• My Archaeological Experience By: Kyle Woods
• In Memoriam: Grafton (“Grif”) H. Cook, II
• Introducing… the Fort St. Joseph Archaeology Advisory Committee
• Watch for These Exciting Events this Summer!
• Fort St. Joseph Wish List
• Upcoming Events

Another Hole In The Head? Brain Treatment In Ancient Egyptian Mummies, Andrew D. Wade, Andrew J. Nelson, Gregory J. Garvin

Anthropology Presentations

Perhaps the most sensational and best-known feature of Egyptian mummification, the removal of the brain, is commonly attributed to the New Kingdom onward (e.g. [1]). Variability both within and between excerebration techniques, however, is poorly appreciated in the literature [2], and reporting of excerebration is often inconsistent, greatly simplified, or simply absent in descriptions of mummified remains, making detailed comparative studies difficult if not impossible.

The goals of this study were to demonstrate:

• variability in mummy excerebration techniques
• temporal and status trends in brain treatment
• the limitations of the literature for large studies

This study focuses on computed tomography (CT), …

Ang 6766 Research Methods, Rebecca K. Zarger

Service-Learning Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Getting High: An Inside Look Into College Students' Lives With Type 1 Diabetes, Amber Spiewak 11

Outstanding Ethnographic Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Book Review Forum: Remapping New Guinea, Joe Bryan

Pacific Studies

Kirsch, Stuart. Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea.

West, Paige. Conservation Is Our Government Now: The Politics of Ecology in Papua New Guinea.

Review: JOE BRYAN

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, BOULDER

Much Ado About Mutton: An Interview With Deborah Gewertz And Frederick Errington, Rebecca Lane, Christine Smith

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

No abstract provided.

The Kora And Korafolaw: A Treatise On The Musical Instrument And Those Who Play It, William Ridenour

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“The kora is what they play in heaven” a friend once told me. I agreed with him, easily. Ever since I first heard the kora played in the United States, my interest in it and the culture that produced it has deepened. Being able to carry out research on it has been a blessing and a pleasure.

All of my fieldwork was done in Bamako, the capital of Mali between April 15th and May 7th 2010. I spent most of my time in the company of the venerable jeli and korafola Dialy Mady Sissoko, who more or less adopted me …

Ant 4442 Urban Life And Culture, Lance Arney

Service-Learning Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Volume 03, Cheryl Peck, Charles Hoever, Longwood Theater Department, Brittany Anderson, J. Ervin Sheldon, Richard Hayden, Yuri Calustro, Candice Fleming, Rebecca Franklin, Ashley Yocum, Danielle M. Jagoda, Cristina M. Valdivieso, Jameka Jones, Amy Ellis, Ashley Maser, Erikk Shupp, Jamie Yurasits, Joshua Davis, Alexander Leonhart, Kenny Wolfe, Sally Meadows, J. Haley, Amy Jackson, Morgan Howard, Adrienne Heinbaugh, Melissa Dorton, Ciarra Stalker

Incite: The Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship

Introduction from Dean Dr. Charles Ross

Little Shop of Horrors by Longwood Theater Department

Who Has the Hottest Hotsauce in Farmville: A Quantitative Comparison of Sauces from Local Restaurants by Cheryl Peck and Charles Hoever

Precipitation Effects on the Growth of White Oaks and Virginia Pines on the Mt. Vernon Plantation by Brittany Anderson

Design and Synthesis of Novel Ion Binding Molecules for Self-Assembly and Sensing Applications by J. Ervin Sheldon

A Statistical Analysis of Algorithms for Playing SameGame by Richard Hayden

Intersecting Cylinders at Arbitrary Angles by Yuri Calustro

Putting a Foot in the Revolving Door: Strategies for Reducing …

Who Do You Belong To?: Understanding A Monument Through Local Conceptions Of Belonging, Sadie J. Lee, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

When major logging operations closed in the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona after pressure from environmental groups, many area residents lost their jobs. Plans for a coal mine on the Kaiparowits Plateau in southern Utah revived hopes for reliable employment, but establishing the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in 1996 by former US President Bill Clinton effectively shut down possibility of exploitative operations on the majority of the plateau. This caused widespread disapproval among conservative local government and populations. This controversial issue has been described extensively in relation to legal disputes over its formation and use. However, no research …

A Case For Christian Communalism: Overcoming Individualism And Racial Segregation In An Ubuntu-Infused South African Catholic Parish, Jordan R. Layton, Jeremy Grimshaw

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Geographic, linguistic, and economic divisions between ethnic groups linger from Apartheid; but recent concerns also include divisions within ethnic groups due to Western-influenced individualism and a decline in communal values known as ubuntu. Ubuntu is a spiritual concept; thus, Christianity seems to be the ideal context for its reinforcement. But most theorists would argue that the physical and figurative walls being constructed between and within ethnic groups could not be overcome through Christianity, which is itself considered to be individualistic “self-serving redemptionism”—the theoretical opposite of ubuntu. However,one East London Catholic parish creates an anomalous interracial community by promoting communal ubuntu …

An Ethnology Of Tillage: The Role And Bearing Of Land A Societal Force In Midwest Agricultural Communities., Olivia Wilkinson, Sheila Bibb

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Literary novelists have long revered the steady and resilient people of the plains. Sociologists and economic researchers have analyzed the drastic changes of the farming business in the recent decades of upheaval. Biochemists take sample after sample of dark brown earth to advance the science of crop growing.

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2010): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US $40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, …

Between Two Worlds: Relationships Between Hearing Children And Their Deaf Parents, Corinne Hoskin, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Hearing children of Deaf parents (HCDPs) — a population rarely addressed by researchers — are surrounded by the Deaf culture of their parents and Hearing culture of their peers and mentors. The differences in language and culture that they experience produce a confusing and potentially disorienting world. HCDPs accept Deafness as an integral part of their identity, as illustrated through the relationships between parent and child.

Development Of Byu's Teaching Museum: A History Of The Museum Of Peoples And Cultures, Carlee Reed, Paul Stavast

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The Museum of Peoples and Cultures (MPC) has been a part of BYU since 1966. The MPC’s mission is to “inspire students to life-long learning and service and [mentors] them in collections-focused activities.”As the MPC has developed, it has influenced many students as they gain experience for later careers, in addition to educating them on different cultures. As of 2008, there was not a thorough recording of the progression and development of the museum. Over the past five years, the archives have been organized and made easily accessible. In addition to the archives, I researched into the history of the …

Ladders To The Sky: Implications Of 'Mental Retardation' In Vishakhapatnam, India, Amber K. Bell, Charles Nuckolls

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have never been studied from an ethnographic basis in anthropology. The study originally focused on only families with autistic members. Due to Indian definitions of mental illness, the study was broadened from the cultural view of ASDs to studying the 'mentally retarded' and focused on autistics within that definition. I wanted to study: the cultural definitions of mental illness, what treatments were being used, and how these definitions affected families that included patients.

Saving The Surfer Identity: The Paddle-Out Ceremony, Charles R. Thomas, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The circle has many forms within Surf Culture, including the lei. The Circle in the Paddle-out is known as the Symbol of Eternity.

The Paradox Of English In Tonga: Attributed Status Vs. Social Aversion, Pauline Tuitavuki, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

My research took place among young adult Tongans, ages 18-30 on the main island of Nuku'alofa in the last remaining Pacific Kingdom of Tonga where Tongan and English are both recognized as official languages. Previous research in Tonga shows that robust sectors of the economy, involving business, tourism, and education, requires English language proficiency for good employment. Consequently, Tongans highly esteem English proficiency, although my experience revealed English practically non-existent in daily communication. Why? Divulging, interviewing, and surveying the impacts of English, past, present, and future, presented three main reasons for social aversion toward speaking English which for them, often …

Volunteer Experience At The Museum Of Peoples And Cultures, Sadie J. Lee, Paul Stavast

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

As BYU’s “teaching” museum, the MPC provides a setting where BYU students can gain real museum experience. Under the mentorship of professional staff, museum class students and student employees are responsible for researching, developing, and installing exhibitions; processing and cataloging incoming and current collections; and organizing and cataloging excavation notes and other collection records. Beyond classes and employment, the MPC also provides an oft-overlooked educational experience for student volunteers. Under the supervision of student employees, volunteers provide assistance in creating and distributing educational materials, cataloging collections, organizing records, and other tasks necessary for the daily maintenance of museum operations. I …

We Are Widows, We Are Women: The Oral Histories Of Low Caste Indian Widows And How They Maintain A Sense Of Self In The Face Of Social Role Change, Suzanne Powell, Charles Nuckolls, Valerie Hudson

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Despite having social widowhood imposed upon them, these wides are able to create a continuance of self by taking a conscious stand on their new role through utilizing value systems they maintained prior to widowhood and by giving personal meaning to the prescribed rites and behaviors associated with widowhood.

Windmills And Walls: A Social Club Harnesses The Winds Of Change In Brandenburg, Taylor C. Merkley, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The town of Lüttein Brandenburg, Germany survived a fire in 1833, but faced a bigger threat to its survival when the Wall tumbled down. Residents began to move away for better jobs and the older population began to dwindle as the local economy looked bleak. Despite these challenges, the residents have found a way to revitalize their community using what is already available to them. In the former East Germany, where many rural towns face depopulation and isolation, the thriving, modern town of Lütte maintains its distinct agrarian character and outward connections. The local club Vere in “Altes Haus” successfully …

Modern-Day Conceptions Of Marriage In Visakhapatnam, India: “Bridging The Gap” Between Globalized Young Women And Their Parents, Courtney E. Petersen, Charles Nuckolls

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Though the globalization of Visakhapatnam is causing a drastic shift in how university-age women understand and relate to current marriage practices and the power relationships associated with them, I propose that the tensions resulting from this change can be overcome through a revived importance placed on communication between the young woman and her parents.

Promontory Caves Revisited: Preliminary Analysis Of Faunal Material From 42bo1 And 42bo2, Lindsay Johansson, Joel Janetski

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

Promontory Caves (42BO1 and 42BO2) are located on Promontory point and were excavated in 1930 and 1931 by Julian Steward from the University of Utah. The caves are the type site for Promontory Phase occupation in the Great Basin and the work being done currently concerning the caves is one aspect of a larger project by Jack Ives of the University of Alberta and Joel Janetski of Brigham Young University concerning the Promontory culture and its relationship to the Athapaskan migration. Based upon the presence of moccasins and ceramics recovered at the site, Steward (1937:87) concluded that Promontory cultures were …

The Current State Of The Alcaldia Indigena In Light Of Its Historical Precedents: The Case Of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Jonathan Luke, John Hawkins

FHSS Mentored Research Conference

The military governments of 1957-1986 abolished all forms of Maya self-government. With the signing of the Peace Accords in 1994, Mayan communities have resurrected the institution of the Alcaldia Indigena, drawing on cultural memory to reorganize it. The new manifestation builds on the Alcaldia’s former structure and seeks to connect internationally to the indigenous rights movement and gain official recognition as a local government body representing indigenous interests.

Desenterrando La Verdad: El Equipo Argentino De Antropología Forense Y La Continuación De La Búsqueda Para Los “Desaparecidos” = Unearthing The Truth: The Argentina Forensic Anthropology Team And Search For Argentina’S “Disappeared”, Frederica Tunnard

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Thirty four years after the military dictatorship in which 30,000 Argentine citizens were kidnapped, tortured, and murdered, their families and Argentine society as a whole continue to search for the truth of what happened to their “disappeared.” This search, however, has not been easy. To start, the military leaders carried out their reign of terror in incredibly secret ways – burying many bodies in unmarked mass graves or, famously, throwing bodies out of airplanes in the Atlantic Ocean – making the recovery and identification of the remains almost impossible. Although organizations like the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team and the Latin …

Late Woodland (Ca. 1000 - 1740 Ce) Foraging Patterns Of The Lenape And Their Neighbors In The Delaware Valley, Marshall Joseph Becker

Anthropology & Sociology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Adolphe De Plevitz And Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon: British Justice, Race, And Indian Labor In Mauritius And Fiji, 1871-1880, Loretta De Plevitz

Pacific Studies

This paper follows the relationship between the first substantive governor of Fiji, Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon, and Adolphe de Plevitz, a Frenchman by birth, who held strong beliefs about the supremacy of British justice and equality. The setting is two tiny British colonies, Mauritius and Fiji, in the latter part of the nineteenth century. In Fiji, Gordon encouraged the importation of indentured Indian workers to develop Queen Victoria’s newest colony; yet in Mauritius, his previous posting, he had reluctantly initiated a Royal Commission into the inequitable treatment of Indians who remained on the island after their period of indenture had …