Since the granting of Native American materials -- excavated in archaeological projects sponsored by federal and state governments across the United States in the 20th century -- to public repositories, museum professionals have sought to manage such collections with care. At the University of Missouri, students responding to the local mandate of…

Elementary students are often hampered by a tendency to ascribe innovation to increasing human intelligence or individual agency rather than increased information, better access to information, or collective and institutional agency. As a result, they struggle to build evidence-based interpretations of the distant past. A fifth-grade…

Contrary to stereotypes of proto-Athapaskan culture as simplistic and archaic, evidence points to a sophisticated web of late prehistoric Asian-Athapaskan interactions. A holistic assessment of Athapaskan migrations in the context of the transpacific Dene-Yeneseian phylum (the largest, fastest pedestrian language spread on earth) sees…

This essay--a combination of authorial narrative and scholarly critique--examines a grassroots organization's (Friends of Historic Northport) campaign to preserve a site in west Alabama where a pivotal Choctaw-Upper Creek battle took place in 1785. The organization has faced opposition from city planners and business leaders intent on developing…

In north central Virginia there is a local tale--The Legend of Jump Mountain, which purports to explain the origins of the Hayes Creek Indian Burial Mound. A highly romantic legend, it immortalizes post colonial intertribal warfare during the early nineteenth century while ignoring the antiquity of the mound and the local descendants of its…

Since 1958, the Center for American Archeology (CAA) has aimed to increase public awareness of ancient American history through field studies, exhibits, and cooperative school programs. In the past decade, CAA has emphasized ethics in archeology, focusing on the absence of the Native past from public school curricula, ethical interpretation of the…

Uses archaeological evidence to trace the history of the Pueblo ancestors in the Southwest's Four Corners region as they evolved from nomadic hunters and gatherers into farmers, and later, were forced by drought, famine, and war to build defensive strongholds on remote cliffs. Contains photographs and paintings. (SV)

As first voiced by activists in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s and then sustained by other Native American leaders throughout the rest of the twentieth century, many Native American communities object to archaeological excavations and the wanton destruction of their traditional cultural places. In this article, the author discusses…

The primary focus of this booklet is the use of anthropology in archaeology and the history of American Indians and their culture in Pennsylvania. Explanations are given for: (1) anthropology; (2) the purpose of archaeology; (3) archaeological interpretations and patterns of culture; (4) types of societies (bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states);…

Explains how the study of aboriginal cultures can aid in the understanding and appreciation of other cultures within North American society. The Anasazi, Hohokam, and Mogollon cultures are examined. (GLR)

Part of the Mississippian culture, which featured the construction of large earthen mounds, Etowah (in northwest Georgia) was a major ceremonial center. Based on excavations and Creek and Choctaw oral traditions, daily life in this village is portrayed, including social structure, clothing, ornaments, ceremonies, burial practices, and warfare.…

A nondescript rock shelter in Texas provides the evidence for shamanism in Leslie Marmon Silko's novel, "Ceremony". There, archaeologists found identifiable images of antlered human figures and entheogenic plant substances, which are medicinal plants, associated with shamanistic practices.

Describes the results of an archaeological dig of a 2000-year-old Woodland Period Indian village. Goes on to include quotes regarding Indians from early colonial inhabitants in an attempt to blend ethnohistorical evidence of Indian trade and wars with archaeological evidence gained from the dig. (JDH)

A classic, purportedly authentic, account of the origins of Lenape (Delaware) Indians was exposed as a scholarly hoax perpetrated by Constantine Rafinesque in the 1830s. Rafinesque sought to reconcile American Indian origins with Biblical teachings and promoted the "Bering Strait theory" of Indian origins. Describes involvement of a…

Describes the new archaeology merit badge of the Boy Scouts of America. Discusses the requirement that scouts recruit a "counselor" who is a hobbyist or working archaeologist, and outlines the duties and ethical responsibilities of such mentors. Includes the scout's requirements for earning the badge. (SV)