If you ask the majority of citizens in the United States about their opinion on the validity of geography-based cultural heritage claims, chances are they will either look at you like you are crazy or dive into an explanation about the most recent show they saw on the history channel about the repatriation of the Kennewick Man. Like any other topic, a person’s scope of knowledge in regards to archaeology is limited to the material that they have been exposed to. In today’s society, the majority of this information is gleaned from popular media sources such as National Geographic, the History Channel, Wikipedia, and other mainstream “educational” resources. Although very popular, these resources often offer interpretations that sensationalize and misrepresent archaeological data. The media is the main conduit of educational information and therefore, has a societal obligation to accurately portray archaeological findings and data.
References to archaeology have become increasing common in popular culture. Images of cultural icons, themes, and artifacts are found in a wide range of media formats. Some movies, such as Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and Tomb Raider do not claim to have an educational significance whereas other films, such as Breaking the Maya Code and The Bible’s Buried Secrets are presented as non-fiction works. The latter films claim to have an educational intention, and should further public knowledge by clarifying and interpreting archaeological that portrays education issues should contribute to the clarifying and interpreting data. This same principle applies to other forms of media such as magazines, journals, websites, and television shows that infer educational value on the viewer. (Clarke 3)
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... to archaeology, media not only facilitates an archive of past events, it actively creates the present by expounding on past events. Even more credit is giving to television programs, movies, articles, and journals that assert an “educational value” upon the viewer. An audience’s scope of knowledge is limited to the information they receive; this becomes problematic when the media only depicts one side of an issue to create a cohesive narrative. Value-based conclusions are drawn from the information that is being presented to the audience which can have lasting impacts. Media that claims to be “educational” should take archaeologists’ input into account and shift the focus form ratings to accuracy. By holding the mass media to a higher standard of presentation, we can ensure that value-based opinions will be a result of empirical data, not sensationalized fallacy.
“Skeletons in the Closet”, written by Clara Spotted Elk, is a well-built argument, but it can be enhanced to become immensely effective. Firstly, Elk’s position is effective in obtaining her purpose and connecting her audience to it, because she includes a broad scope and background of the problem in the first few paragraphs. She describes the amount of Indian skeletons preserved and contained by American museums, through the use of data and statistics. For instance, Elk states: “we found that 18,500 Indian remains…are unceremoniously stored in the Smithsonian’s nooks and crannies” (13-15). By using this data, the background of the argument is illustrated to assist the audience in understanding her argument. Now, by knowing this statistic, readers can connect with Elk and her assertion, since we realize that there are plenty of skeletons that
...ncyclopedia of Archaeology, Ed. Deborah M. Pearsall. Vol. 3. Oxford, United Kingdom: Academic Press, 2008. p1896-1905. New Britain: Elsevier, Inc.
Stapp, Darby C. "An Anthropological Perspective on Magistrate Jelderks's Kennewick Man Decision." Kennewick Man Perspectives on the Ancient One (n.d.): 44-66. World Archaeological Congress. Web. 02 Apr. 2013.
Examining excavated artifacts can tell researchers a lot about the people who left them behind. The artifacts can hint at characteristics such as how people lived, what time period they were from, what they ate, and how their families were structured. The identification of the three bags of artifacts was completed by utilizing artifacts that helped to infer the time period it was from.
There has been a lot of controversy regarding human remains and the field of archaeology for some time. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) protect the Native American’s rights over their human remains and cultural items. Proposed by the Morris Udall, former Congress Member for Arizona second District, NAGPRA was passed by the Congress in November 1990. The congress’ intention was to facilitate the repatriation of the Native Americans skeleton and cultural remains that were held in museums and federal agencies. In compliance with the Act, anthropologists returned several skeletal remains that were conserved in their study laboratories and museums to the respective Native tribes. In 1998, for example, the University of Nebraska repatriated over 1702 cultural artifacts to the affiliated Native Americans (Niesel 1). This was a significant blow to the scientific and anthropology studies as it marked the loss of necessary resources in unraveling the development of the human being.
Turfa, Jean Maclntosh. American Journal of Archaeology. N.p.: Archaeological Institute of America, 1977. JSTOR. Web. 30 Nov. 2013.
Discussions in the 1970’s and 1980’s within both sides of the debate indicate population change, behavior change and natural processes to be the large determining factors (Attenbrow, 2004). Many archaeologists accepted there was a continuing increase over time in the number of archaeological sites established and used, as well as in the number of artefacts accumulated in individual sites, particularly in the past 5000 years (eg. Johnson 1979:39; Bowdler1981; Morwood 1984:371, 1986, 1987; Ross 1984, 1985:87; Beaton 1985: 16-18; Fletcher-Jones 1985: 282, 286; Lourandos 1985a: 393-411, 1985b: 38; White and Habgood 1985; Hiscock 1986) (Attenbrow, 2004). Population change refers to the changes in number of people or size of the population, behavioural changes referring to changes to activities such as tool manufacturing, subsistence practices as well as the use of space within a site (Attenbrow, 2004). Whilst natural processes include geomorphological and biological process that may have affected the archaeological record (At...
Tensions between science and religion have recurred throughout history. The issues of what to do with the remains of our ancestors are viewed differently by people. Some people believe that the burial site should be left untouched. Among this group of people fall the Native Americans. Archaeologists, on the other hand, think we should uncover the burial site to be able to discover more about the history of the land from which the grave lies.
This week in my science class, Reading and Writing Science, we studied Archeology. Archeology is a field that requires the background information of history and the scientific methods of science. This profession, like most others, is very susceptible to the dangerous of human error. Through my own experience in class after viewing seven, foreign pictures, I have learnt that archeology has to do almost entirely with human observations and perspectives. After a body or an artifact is dug up, it is the job of archeologists to figure out as much as they can about the different objects. Because humans are not omnipotent creatures, sometimes they are wrong in their assumptions and conclusions on the history of these artifacts. After revisiting the pictures and being told the story and professional findings of each one, I too found there were errors in my observations; sometimes I omitted some artifacts and made unknown prejudice or cultural assumptions on the deceased individuals, which in turn caused me to interpret the evidence incorrectly.
I chose four different anthropological projects from around the word in which I believe would be best for the Archaeology Conservancy to protect. I ranked these different projects based on quality of work, potential for public use, threatened nature, and heritage importance. I first reviewed the Mosfell Archeological project in Iceland. This area will construct a vivid picture of the human and environmental change in southwestern Ireland. The purpose of this project is to find the prehistory and early history of the Mosfell region. I also looked into the Pylos Regional Archaeological project. This project started in 1990 to look at prehistoric settlements in western Messenia, Greece. The Yaxuna project caught my attention because the project is in Yucatan, Mexico and I am Mexican. This project main concern is finding out more about the Mayan culture and way of life. My last site I would like to be protected is Jamestown Rediscovery. This project is based out of Virginia, the first known English colony in North America. The excavations began in 1994 and so far many artifacts have been found. The purpose of my research is in order for the Archaeology Conservancy, based out of New Mexico, to help continue these projects.
Pseudoarchaeology likely arose from nationalistic archaeology that was developed in Europe during the late nineteenth century, and shares many of its traits. Similarly, pseudoarchaeology omits facts, can be used to claim identity (Dzino 2012 p.180) or can be used to perpetuate a worldview (Derricourt, 2012). However, unlike nationalistic archaeology, pseudoarchaeology does not have a scientific method (Fagan and Feder 2006 p.727, Flemming 2006 p.50). Due to this, it has the ability to appeal to a wider audience than archaeology by making definitive and sweeping statements about the past, with a satisfying beginning,
The elements of popular culture discussed above, were mainly produced for mass exposure, profit and entertainment. Products depicting archaeology relies on fantasy, imagination, myths and legends that were visualised and weaved into reality. The depiction of archaeology and archaeologists in popular culture, betray archaeology and send wrong messages that distorts the noble purpose of archaeology. Popular culture depicts archaeology as an adventure and a profession that will endure wealth and fame for its achievers. In films depicting archaeology, the general public is misinformed of who archaeologists are, and how they make their living and organize their work, as they were shown as freelance individuals who did not affiliate with any university or institution, except the character of Indiana Jones who was an archaeologist and an academic.
Prehistoric sites display its historic beauty by the visualization of artifacts found or by its historical landmarks. These characteristics enable archaeologists to trace the evolution of societal influences among various geographic areas. Artifacts and pieces of historical land display a vast array of social, economic and religious entities that give insight to the cultural practices performed during a certain time period. A site that displays significant historical information is seen within the Cahokia Mounds in Collinsville, Illinois. Native American Indians play an important role in contributing to our historical events dating back thousands of years ago. Family ties to the Native American tribes enables family members to see first hand how the prehistoric cultural, social and religious practices performed evolved into a new set of practices in our society today.
Archaeologists have been popular characters in American Fiction at least since the 1920’s. In the movie The Fifth Element directed by Adrian Lyne an archaeologist makes a startling discovery, which kicks off the entire plot for the movie. The setting is a popular one for that of archaeologists which is Egypt in the year 1914.
2003Virtue Ethics and the Practice of History: Native Americans and Archaeologists along the San Pedro Valley of Arizona. Pp 2-32. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Twelfth Annual Meeting.