Readings: Article Abstracts in Archaeology and Anthropology

There are many articles in scientific anthropology and archaeology journals that never see the light of day in the mainstream press, but are still interesting to think about and read. Here's a sampling of some that have crossed my desk lately.

Searching for Sacajawea
An article by Wanda Pillow examines the image of one of the most romanticized women in American history, the Lemhi Shoshone woman Sacajawea.

Archaeology at Strangway Springs Sheep Station
A recent article in Historical Archaeology describes work by Alistair Paterson at the Strangway Springs Station, a sheep ranch in central Australia. The article is interesting because it describes the complexity of cultural contact, between the European and Aboriginal peoples of Australia at work together during the last half of the 19th century.

Fair Trade and Indigenous Peoples
Last fall's issue of Cultural Survival Quarterly was dedicated to the 'fair trade' issue; how the idea works among indigenous peoples, and what it takes to get that cup of java into your co-op grocery store.

Sacrifices of the Moche
An article by Richard Sutter and Rosa Cortez in Current Anthropology discussing the current theories about who it was that the ancient South American society called the Moche sacrificed, and propose their own suggestion.

GPS and Inuit Wayfinding
An article in the December 2005 issue of Current Anthropology by Claudio Aporta and Eric Higgs called "Satellite Culture: Global Positioning Systems, Inuit Wayfinding, and the need for a new account of technology" discusses what happens when traditional methods of maintaining geographic knowledge become affected by the adoption of new technologies.

Death and Commemoration
In Industrial Archaeology Review (volume 27) late in 2005 was an interesting paper by Sarah Tarlow called "Death and Commemoration". Tarlow, lecturer in archaeology at the University of Leicester, has previously investigated emotions as they are reflected in the archaeological record, and this article is no less intriguing

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