More information coming soon…
Hello everyone,
I tried posting yesterday (and apparently failed at it)–I just wanted to introduce myself since I don’t think I know anyone else in the Plains group.
I’m an Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma and I work in Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. I’m most interested in sites dating to the 16th through mid-19th centuries following European colonization. I focus on the direct and indirect consequences of colonization that Plains peoples had to adapt and respond to–like dealing with the influx of migrants from adjacent regions, changing economic and social networks, etc.
What about all of you? What are your research interests?
@strabert Hi Sarah! It is great to have you on board. As I mentioned to many folks that may consider themselves historical archaeologists, one thing that I think would be wonderful to try and incorporate into this textbook is a sense of continuity within regional chapters–so the Plains chapter does not stop right before colonization only to be picked up again (or perhaps not, unfortunately) in a chapter devoted to historical archaeology. Do you find this parsing of time periods to be limiting, more broadly in North American or in the Plains specifically? Do you see the benefits of making a connection through time in each regional chapter while still having a chapter focused on historical archaeology later in the textbook? I am interested to hear your thoughts.
Also, if you know of other Plains archaeologists who would be interested in working on this chapter, do send them here or they can email me directly–or if you have names email them to me and I can email them directly. I am always happy to talk 1:1 first as well, as I think the project can be best explained live. I would love to get a few more people on board here to help with the outlining and writing process.
Hi everyone. I just want to ensure two things:
1. Has everyone seen the Author Guide here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aNA7tvrDy89Btt10S5u_B0mXj_69p-zntBQuiY4CH4Q/edit?usp=sharing?
2. Once you are signed up for a given chapter(s), you will receive access to all Google folders and docs necessary to complete the work in your group. If you are signed up for a chapter and you have not received access via email, please let me know!
That is all for now. Let me know if you have any questions as you work towards completing your chapter outline by November 1st. ~Katie
@kvkirako Hi Katie, I think that alluding to the significant changes that come during the colonial process, the European powers at play, and indigenous responses at the end of the Plains chapter should be enough set-up for the final historical archaeology chapter. However, it depends on how the historical archaeology chapter is set up–is this going to have a significant discussion of indigenous responses to colonization and following demographic, cultural, economic, religious, etc. changes? Or will it be more focused on Euroamerican expansion and settlement in history?
I think that having short discussions at the end of each area chapter about colonialism and then discussing the colonial process again at the end of the text book could work fine. It can be powerful to see just how pervasive colonization was if student see the process on a continent wide scale.
If we are going to continue efforts to decolonize North American archaeology as professionals then we need to make it clear what the colonial process meant for Native peoples, how they responded to changes, and how anthropology is entangled in this history. Even at the undergraduate level.
@strabert Hi. I totally agree. Showing it in each region is important while also coming back to the “big picture” and bringing those pieces into further view is important. The continuity and scale of this is critical in my opinion. Perhaps you might also suggest this in the Historical archaeology chapter thread. ~Katie
Hi all,
I want to introduce myself. I worked on the Northern Plains from the 1970s until about 2000. After that I got involved in other aspects of archaeology and currently work for the Navy in the Pacific Northwest. I did my MA on Besant, a Woodland culture that appeared on the Plains about 2000 years ago, and my dissertation studied the role of climate change on prehistoric adaptations at Mummy Cave. Because I have the data, it might be useful study for this Plains chapter.
My background in Northern Plains archaeology is broad, having studied and published in various aspects of lithics, faunal analysis, climate change, and ethnohistory. However, because I have not worked in this area for about 15 years, I am not too familiar with current work. I can contribute to research questions, culture history, etc. as a background, but would need to depend upon others to contribute to recent research. I just looked through the outline and made comments based on my experience.
Susan
@susansh54 Hi Susan! I just saw what you added to the Plains chapter. This is great. Thank you. Do you have colleagues from this region you might reach out to about this project? If in academia, I wonder if they might also have current grad students who might be interested in working on this. We could use some more Plains researchers and I am not entirely keyed into this network. Thoughts?
And in terms of Mummy Cave, this sounds interesting as a case study. Is this still an active site? ~Katie
Hi everyone,
I have been meaning to get formally signed up and introduce myself for quite awhile and figure as I’m waiting for the meeting I should do it now.
I am currently a PhD student at UMass Amherst. Because I got my BS from Montana State and MA from University of Idaho I have mostly worked in the northwest/plains area. My master’s thesis was in collaboration with the Crow Tribe in Montana. I reanalyzed two archaeological collections (Museum of the Rockies, MT; American Museum of Natural History, NY) collected from a sacred place on the Crow Reservation in 1939 and 1941. I used oral histories to look at the collections and demonstrated how the only published work about this collection from Nels Nelson came to false conclusions. But my focus was the oral histories in relation to the objects from the sacred place and how we can work with tribes now even when the excavations have already been done.
My PhD dissertation will still be working with the Crow (after I get permission from the cultural committee). In 2011 I was part of a CRM crew that excavated what was the second headquarters of the Crow Reservation. It is now on private land. We collected an overwhelming amount of material. It is a really interesting site related to Crow history, national history, and a great public/community archaeology project.
Either of these could be great case studies for many reasons. For my master’s work I would have to get permission from the Crow Tribe before writing it up.
@vbochniak Hi Victoria,
Welcome! Sorry for not doing that earlier. It is great to have you on board. Your group has had some exciting movement recently. Be sure the others jump on here to introduce themselves when they are able. ~Katie
