Archaeology Of Prehistoric Native America

First published in 1998. Did prehistoric humans walk to North America from Siberia? Who were the inhabitants of the spectacular Anasazi cliff dwellings in the Southwest and why did they disappear? Native Americans used acorns as a major food source, but how did they get rid of the tannic acid which is toxic to humans? How does radiocarbon dating work and how accurate is it? Written for the informed lay person, college-level student, and professional, Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia is an important resource for the study of the earliest North Americans; including facts, theories, descriptions, and speculations on the ancient nomads and hunter-gathers that populated continental North America.

Describes how archaeologists have used a variety of methods to learn about the past and assemble a picture of prehistoric Native American life.

A Prehistory of North America covers the ever-evolving understanding of the prehistory of North America, from its initial colonization, through the development of complex societies, and up to contact with Europeans. This book is the most up-to-date treatment of the prehistory of North America. In addition, it is organized by culture area in order to serve as a companion volume to “An Introduction to Native North America.” It also includes an extensive bibliography to facilitate research by both students and professionals.

Working Together focuses on one of the most important topics in archaeology today: the cooperative initiatives and issues involving Native Americans and archaeologists. This volume is an invaluable resource for readers and scholars who want to gain insight into the complex relationship between archaeologists and Native Americans. Working Together originated as an innovative and popular column in the Society for American Archaeology's SAA Bulletin in 1993. This column became a dynamic forum in which both archaeologists and Native Americans could voice their concerns and thoughts on a very sensitive topic. With many of these articles reproduced in this volume, readers will have access to a diverse selection of case studies from several North American regions. Although the authors express diverse and sometimes contradictory viewpoints, three consistent themes emerge: first, archaeologists must be willing to break with established archaeological practice and to approach the discipline with an open mind; second, archaeologists and Native Americans must cultivate a reciprocity of exchange, in both an intellectual and political sense; and finally, Native Americans and archaeologists must work together to build project-specific coalitions.

Legal and economic factors have thrust American archaeology into a period of intellectual and methodological unrest. Issues such as reburial and repatriation, land and resource 'ownership,' and the integration of tradition and science have long divided archaeologists and Native American communities. Both groups recognize the need for a dramatic transformation of the discipline into one that appeals to and serves the greater public. This book tackles these and other issues by elucidating successful strategies for collaboration. It includes detailed discussions of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), enacted in 1990 in effort to legislatively redefine ownership of cultural items. Perspectives range from Native American representatives from tribes throughout the U.S., professional archaeologists and anthropologists working for tribes, federal and state agency representatives, museum specialists, and private archaeology and anthropology consultants. Published in cooperation with the Society for American Archaeology.

Relazioni preparate per il 9. International congress of anthropological and ethnological sciences, tenuto a Chicago, Ill., nel 1973.

Hailed on its first publication as a masterly account for both general reader and student, Ancient North America traces the entire course of native American history from the first appearance of humans in the New World more than 14,000 years ago to the cataclysmic aftermath of European settlement. This standard synthesis has now been completely revised and expanded by Professor Fagan for the second edition. Controversies over first settlement are updated. A new chapter has been added on the eastern Plains farmers and their interaction with the nomads of the Great Plains. Canadian cultures and archaeological sites receive additional attention, with expanded coverage of Northwest Coast prehistory. New sections describe the rock paintings of the Pecos area and the archaeology of the Northwest Plateau. Current theoretical issues are debated, guiding the reader through a rapidly changing field.