ANTHRONOTES®

MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY PUBLICATION FOR EDUCATORS

VOLUME 30

NO. 1

SPRING 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHRONOTES!

AnthroNotes® first appeared in the spring of 1979 as part of the National Science Foundation-funded George Washington University/Smithsonian Institution Anthropology for Teacher's Program (1978-82). Published three times a year, the 6 page newsletter shared teaching resources and activities, upcoming events, and summer opportunities. AnthroNotes expanded over the years, growing from a local publication to an international one with substantive articles on anthropological research and classroom-tested teaching activities. Today AnthroNotes reaches pre-college, university, and museum anthropologists and educators working in private and government sectors in all 50 states and in 50 countries worldwide.

The AnthroNotes editors choose topics central to the field of anthropology and contemporary concerns, then solicit articles and teaching activities from leading anthropologists and educators. All of our authors—over 175—have generously contributed their time and expertise writing articles on cutting-edge research and teaching activities for classroom use. All have worked closely with us through the years; we thank them for their patience with our editorial process as well as for their excellent contributions.

AnthroNotes has experienced some major changes in recent years. In 2002 our long-time cartoon illustrator, George Washington University anthropology professor Robert L. Humphrey, passed away. Bob's cartoons contributed humor and insight into the world of anthropology while also providing the publication with a unique visual look. We continue to include some of Bob's cartoons in AnthroNotes, as we have in this particular issue.

In 2008, the AnthroNotes editorial team changed composition. One of the four original editors, JoAnne Lanouette—who helped create and teach in the GWU/SI teacher training program—retired. High school anthropology teacher Carolyn Gecan, a long-time AnthroNotes supporter, joined Alison Brooks, Ann Kaupp, and Ruth Selig as the fourth editor. [Read “Comings and Goings” in the Spring 2008 issue, p. 19.]

We've had fun for 30 years and always have appreciated the many positive notes (or today, emails) received from teachers and other readers. Our authors are especially pleased when we can tell them that their articles have been requested for reprinting in anthropology readers, college texts, and other compilations for classroom use. In 2002, we were honored to receive the Society for American Archaeology's Award for Excellence in Public Education. The award, citing AnthroNotes as well as the 1998 edition of Anthropology Explored, the Best of Smithsonian AnthroNotes, reads in part “for presenting archaeological and anthropological research to the public in an engaging and accessible style.” In 2004 a second, revised edition of the book was published under the name Anthropology Explored: Revised and Expanded (see next page).

We would like to thank the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and particularly the Department of Anthropology for its strong support of AnthroNotes. We thank you, our contributors and readers, for believing in our publication and its role in promoting the study of anthropology by teachers and students seeking to understand their increasingly complex, multicultural world.

The Editors