Museums, Collections, and Repatriation (Other Keyword)
101-125 (128 Records)
This is an abstract from the "How to Conduct Museum Research and Recent Research Findings in Museum Collections: Posters in Honor of Terry Childs" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Fowler Museum Archaeology Collections is the largest repository of Los Angeles history. It has maintained the research materials and excavations of UCLA academics and local researchers since 1941. The collections consist of approximately 1.5 million artifacts ranging...
Revisiting the Rubber-Sided Museum: A Case Study in Collections-Based Research (2018)
Archaeological repositories abound in significant but overlooked collections. This paper presents a case study based in one such collection: the Hendricks-Hodge Expedition to the ancestral Zuni pueblo of Hawikku, NM (1917-1923), which accumulated 25,000 artifacts now in the NMAI, many remaining unstudied. Drawing on current interdisciplinary research into its seventeenth-century Spanish mission, this paper considers challenges of extracting new interpretations from older collections. Research...
Rose Red-Filmed by Any Other Name: Pottery Typology and Genealogy in the Southeastern US (2019)
This is an abstract from the ""Re-excavating" Legacy Collections" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Working with legacy collections, it is common to come across labeled artifacts or reports listing now defunct names. Over the years, archaeologists have chosen to define ceramic assemblages based on any number of attributes; often the primary consideration being the site or region in which they were first discovered and described. These names are time...
Ruthann, the Leader-Hearted Woman - inawa’sioskitsipaki (2021)
This is an abstract from the "Paleo Lithics to Legacy Management: Ruthann Knudson—Inawa’sioskitsipaki" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Blackfoot, in whose territories Ruthann Knudson worked, recognize some women as inawa’sioskitsipaki, a “leader-hearted woman.” Such a woman is strong, intelligent, highly moral, outstandingly capable in the tasks she carries out, kind, and generous. She is deeply respected and listened to. Oscar Lewis, in a...
Sacred Places and Contested Spaces in Maine: the Long Shadow of Colonialist Science in the Light of Repatriation (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Sins of Our Ancestors (and of Ourselves): Confronting Archaeological Legacies" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Nevin site in Maine has become a contested space as Wabanaki people, seeking to repatriate their ancestors, confront archaeologists who adhere to the antiquated postulates of their predecessors. From 1912-1920, Warren K. Moorehead of Phillips Academy’s archaeology department, focused field work on Maine’s...
Sampling Archaeology at the National Museum of Natural History (2018)
The Anthropology department at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History holds over 2.2 million ethnological and archaeological artifacts from the USA and all over the world in its collections, including archaeofauna and bioarchaeological specimens. Every year a handful of researchers sample from our collections for destructive and non-destructive sampling analysis. These analyses run the gamut from portable XRF on textile dyes, isotope analysis of oyster shells from...
Severed from the Landscape: Wrangling Over 100 Years of Collections from the Public Lands and Coordinating Repatriation (2018)
The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) cultural resource responsibilities expand beyond the landscape, to the artifacts recovered from archaeological sites, and the associated records. These "gatherings" under the Antiquities Act and "archaeological resources" under the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) were collected in the public interest to be preserved in museums for future generations. Some of these collections may also be sacred and sensitive to descendant communities, and the...
Solutions for Stabilizing and Caring for Inorganic Archaeological Collections (2018)
Inorganic archaeological objects (e.g., stone, glass, ceramic, and metal) may require special care as a result of their archaeological context or properties of composition or manufacture. This paper reviews the agents of deterioration specific to inorganic archaeological objects and demonstrates how to identify preservation concerns and stabilize sensitive collections. Specifically, the use of silica gel storage for archaeological metal will be discussed and demonstrated.
Solutions for Stabilizing and Caring for Organic Archaeological Collections (2018)
Care of archaeological materials should begin in the field. Care and stabilizing of objects, if started in the field, will greatly increase the objects research and exhibit potential when it finally finds a home in a museum. How do you identify problems and then what do you do? Proper care and stabilization of objects can and should be a priority for all object users—excavators, lab analysts, museum staff, and researchers. In this paper, object care, conservation environments and stabilizing...
State of Conservation of the La Venta Stone Sculpture Corpus (2018)
The stone sculpture corpus originally found in La Venta is one of the most important collections of Olmec art in Mexico. It is currently exhibited in five different museums in Tabasco and Mexico City. The state of conservation of the almost 50 sculptures (whole and fragments) at the Parque Museo La Venta in Villahermosa are of particular interest because they have been exhibited in an open air museum for the last six decades. A summary of a recent and detailed study of the state of conservation...
The State of the State of California Curation (2019)
This is an abstract from the "How to Conduct Museum Research and Recent Research Findings in Museum Collections: Posters in Honor of Terry Childs" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Dr. Wendy Teeter, Stevy Hernandez, and Xochitl Aguinaga from the Fowler Museum at UCLA were part of an implementation committee initiating the California Curatorial Survey which was distributed to professionals from a variety of institutions. The 2018 Society of California...
Stephen D. Houston’s Bloody, Courtly, Fiery, and Luxurious Contributions to Exhibitions of Maya Art (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Decipherment, Digs, and Discourse: Honoring Stephen Houston's Contributions to Maya Archaeology" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. As a graduate student, Stephen Houston contributed references as well as two personal communications to the catalogue for The Blood of Kings: Dynasty and Ritual in Maya Art, including drawing Linda Schele and Mary Miller’s attention to key details of an exhibition centerpiece: the Kimbell Art...
Strategies for Understanding Biomolecular Preservation within Archaeological Collections (2018)
Technological and analytical advancements of biomolecular techniques allow scientists and museums to explore and assess archaeological collections from a new perspective, revealing new insights into past peoples, health, and the environment. One of the major challenges for biomolecular research on archaeological remains are uncertainties surrounding biomolecule preservation. Information on how samples were collected, washed, preserved, and maintained are valuable for generating and interpreting...
Struggling with Complex Decision-Making in Public Policy (2019)
This is an abstract from the "Attention to Detail: A Pragmatic Career of Research, Mentoring, and Service, Papers in Honor of Keith Kintigh" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) and other archaeological organizations struggled with a variety of public policy decisions and organizational policies that eventually resulted in major public laws on both the state and federal levels...
Surveying New York City Collections at the American Museum of Natural History (2021)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2021: General Sessions" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The North American Archaeology Collection at the American Museum of Natural History contains more than 4,000 cataloged objects from New York City. These accessions were acquired or donated to the museum between 1869 and 2017. In this poster, I examine these legacy collections by exploring the materials and artifact types collected from the area. In addition, I...
Taking Ancient Maya Vases off their Pedestals: A Case Study in Optical Microscopy and Ultra Violet Light Examination (2018)
Ancient Maya polychrome vases, especially those that are decorated with elaborately painted scenes, fill the display cases and collection drawers of museums and galleries around the world. Unfortunately, the majority of these are unprovenienced and many also lack clear provenance. Furthermore, modern restorations and/ or falsifications further muddy our understanding and blur the line between authentic and inauthentic. In order to learn more about these ceramics, and help to restore some of...
Tale of a Test Pit: The Research History of a Midden Column from the Turkey Pen Site, Utah (2019)
This is an abstract from the ""Re-excavating" Legacy Collections" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In 1972 R.G. Matson and a small crew excavated a dry, stratified midden at a Pueblo Cliff Dwelling site in Grand Gulch, as part of the Cedar Mesa Project. Materials from the column (excavated and kept intact) and the matrix surrounding it (bagged separately by layer) are curated at Washington State University’s Museum of Anthropology and have been used...
Thinking Inside the Box: Research Potential of National Park Service Archeological Collections at the Museum Resource Center (2018)
The National Capital Region of the National Park Service is rich with archeological resources as can be attested by the vast collection of objects stored at the Museum Resource center. However, for many collections, only a basic identification of the artifacts exists. Collections dating from early Native American habitation to the American Civil War to 20th Century Industrialization are available for further research that could lead to Master's Thesis or Dissertations. This paper will highlight...
To Be of Use: Re-examining Army Corps of Engineer's Collections (2018)
The Veterans Curation Program has been rehabilitating U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) collections for long-term preservation since 2009. With the dual goal of training and assisting veterans with their professional goals while also archiving and curating USACE collections, this program ultimately produces high quality digital records and photographs of cultural materials from across the U.S. This paper delves into the value of USACE’s digital collections for continued research, education,...
To Curate or Not to Curate: Legal, Ethical, and Practical Considerations at the Arizona State Museum (2019)
This is an abstract from the "To Curate or Not to Curate: Surprises, Remorse, and Archaeological Grey Area" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Arizona State Museum (ASM), at the University of Arizona, is the oldest and largest museum of anthropology in the southwestern United States and the largest and busiest non-federal archaeological repository in the country. ASM, as the state's official archaeological repository, is required to accept...
Tribal Agency and Federal Hegemony: NAGPRA in Action (2018)
Our knowledge and traditions tell us that the Ancient One is our Ancestor. We have requested repatriation for nearly twenty years only to be blocked at every turn. The final judgment made at the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit placed the Claimant Tribes in the status of "interested party" in the minds of the federal agency. This is the hegemonic framework the tribes found themselves in when the US Army of Engineers made the official determination that the Ancient One is Native...
Using Augmented Reality to Increase Collections Access: Examples from the University of Saskatchewan Archaeological Collections (2019)
This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. This poster demonstrates augmented reality as a useful approach for making inaccessible collections accessible to the public. Using the mobile app Augment, highlights of the University of Saskatchewan’s archaeological collections will be virtually presented to the public for the first time. Hidden archaeological gems will be given the spotlight they deserve...
Using the State Archaeological Repository of Iowa: Collections Long Held Re-examined and Application of New Technologies (2019)
This is an abstract from the "How to Conduct Museum Research and Recent Research Findings in Museum Collections: Posters in Honor of Terry Childs" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The University of Iowa (UI) Office of the State Archaeologist has maintained the State Archaeological Repository of Iowa since 1959. During its 60-year history, the repository’s curation strategy has modernized from strictly housing UI-generated collections to meeting the...
The Value of Legacy Collections for Recognizing and Reducing Error in Artifact Analysis (2019)
This is an abstract from the ""Re-excavating" Legacy Collections" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. All data accumulated in field studies directed at the determination of formal variation in the archaeological record contain a source of variation that results from analytical error. This type of error, if of sufficient magnitude, may significantly affect interpretation. Recent ceramic and faunal analyses from the Southeast have identified important...
We just need a few milligrams.... (2018)
Destructive analyses of human remains, i.e. analyses dependent on small biological samples from human, archaeologically found, bone or teeth, have yielded important new data and added to knowledge about our past. Yet, more studies generate even more studies, and the demand is clearly rising for more samples made available. This is especially the case for those collections, which are very unique in terms of geography (Greenland) or time period (Danish mesolithic). At the same time, these unique...