42
A628
ANTH
anthro notes
v
a newsletter for teachers
vol. 3 no. 2 spring 1981
TUITION -FREE COURSE
Are you a teacher who would like
to learn more about anthropology?
Would you like to integrate this fas-
cinating subject into your curricula?
Would you like to meet university and
museum anthropologists to learn of
their research? If so, you can apply
now for the 1981-1982 Anthropology for
Teachers Program. Anthropology 255-
256 is a TUITION-FREE, graduate credit
course specifically designed for science
and social science teachers in the
Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
The program is funded by the National
Science Foundation and conducted by
the Anthropology Departments of George
Washington University and the Smith-
sonian Institution. A background in
anthropology is not necessary. The
three course sections will meet week-
days in Montgomery County (including
Howard County teachers), Prince George's
County, and Fairfax County, and once-
a-month on Saturdays at George Washing-
ton University or the National Museum of
Natural History. For further information,
write Ruth 0. Selig, Department of
Anthropology, NHB-Stop 112, Smithson-
ian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560,
or call 357-1592. Deadline for receiv-
ing the completed application form is
July 10, 1981.
WHAT'S NEW IN HUMAN EVOLUTION?
Four articles in current popular
science journals focus on new develop-
ments in human origins research.
Featured in the March and April
issues of SCIENCE 81 are two excerpts
from LUCY: THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMANKIND,
a new book by the anthropologist, Donald
C. Johanson and Maitland A. Edey, a sci-
ence writer. "Lucy, The Inside Story"
(March 1981) tells the fascinating ac-
count of how Johanson and his co-workers
determined that his new fossil, Lucy, re-
presented a new species and the earliest
known common ancestor of all the later
hominids from the Pliocene and Pleisto-
cene epochs. The article also details
the subsequent argument with the Leakeys
over whether Mary Leakey's equally ancient
new finds from Laetoli should be included
with Lucy (Johanson 's view) or recognized
by themselves as the earliest ancestor of
our own genus Homo with Lucy and the aus-
tralopithecines relegated to the sidelines
(Leakey ' s view)
.
Other anthropologists continue to
argue over the validity of the new spe-
cies, Australopithecus afarensis. Is it
just a smaller and earlier version of
Australopithecus africanus? Is it really
different enough to merit species
INSIDE: UPCOMING EVENTS-5, TEACHER'S CORNER-6, SUMMER DIGS-10, BOSTON NOTES-12
distinction?
"Hew Ape Became Man" (April 1981)
discusses Owen Lovejoy's theory that
caring for infants, not a new feeding
pattern (meat-eating) , was the driving
force behind the basic human adapta-
tion of bipedalism. Bipedalism is a
terrible way to get around since it
slows us down
,
but it does help us
carry food and infants. Lovejoy's
vision of females sitting around camp
raising young while males provide all
the food seems extreme. The basic
idea of involving males as additional
providers in the family unit through
a monogamous relationship, however,
accords with the facts: human females
have very few offspring, do not adver-
tise their periods of maximum fertil-
ity (estrous) , and are remarkably simi-
lar to males in size. Lack of marked
sexual dimorphism correlates with mono-
gamy not only among primates but among
mammals generally. Exclusive male pro-
visioning of females and young, how-
ever, tends to occur only among carni-
vores.
The NEW YORK TIMES science writer,
Boyce Rensberger, gives an excellent
short review of new views on human
origins from Ramapithecus to Cro-Mag-
non, in the April issue of SCIENCE
DIGEST ("Ancestors: A Family Album") .
The article covers not only Pilbeam's
views on the distinctive non-hominid
nature of Ramapithecus and Johanson's
views on Australopithecus afarensis
,
but also new conclusions about early
Homo (habilis ) derived from Richard
Leakey and Glyn Isaac's work at East
Turkana (formerly Lake Rudolf) . New
dates for Homo erectus derived from
the same sites, the earliest engrav-
ings and crayons from Europe, and the
possibility that Homo sapiens may have
evolved in southern Africa are also
discussed.
The fourth article "Neanderthal
the Hunter", in the January issue of
NATURAL HISTORY, is a poor comparison
to the other three. Valerius Geist,
"an authority on the ecology of un-
gulates", argues that Neanderthals needed
to hunt large animals exclusively in order
to meet the nutritional demands of their
families during the winter. He asserts
their hunting took the form of confront-
ing the animal at close quarters, kill-
ing it with a hand-ax, gnawing the meat
off the barely thawed carcass, and toss-
ing the bones into the fire. Since they
did not have storage facilities, they had
to live in small groups in the midst of
large herds and had to hunt often. The
demise of the Neanderthals is supposedly
explained by the demise of their large
prey around 35,000 B.C., during a warm
period in the Ice Age.
Unfortunately, this theory is based
on a very limited knowledge of the Nean-
derthal data as well as on many miscon-
ceptions about the people who succeeded
the Neanderthals. Most Neanderthal sites
were excavated at a time when archeolo-
gists did not use screens? hence the bones
of small prey were rarely recovered. Spe-
cial deep pit hearths with air flues sug-
gest that bones were used by both Neander-
thals and Cro-Magnon people as fuel , not
dropped into a wood fire accidently.
The fact that modern hunters do not
use Neanderthal tool types (although the
Australian aborigines came close) does
not mean that no parallels can be found
between modern and ancient hunters. Con-
trary to the author's assertion, many
archeologists (including some women) have
had "the strength" to duplicate the tools
of Neanderthals, as well as some of the
wear patterns. Cro-Magnon people did not
preserve meat to an obviously greater de-
gree than Neanderthals, nor did they in-
vent spear-throwers until the very end of
the Ice-Age. Nor did Mesolithic people
kill and eat each other in large numbers
to ward off protein starvation in the wake
of Pleistocene extinctions. Finally,
all hunters roast meat in the ashes and
experience considerable tooth wear from
the grit on their food. This cannot be
used to explain Neanderthal molars, which
were not continuously growing in any case
as the author claims.
(cont'dj
This article is an unfortunate
exception to the generally excellent
quality of anthropology reporting
in NATURAL HISTORY.
Alison S. Brooks
Associate Professor of
Anthropology
George Washington University
LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS ?
A new and wonderful book on human
origins has come to town. You won't
want to miss it.
If you teach physical anthropology,
LUCY: THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMANKIND by
Donald Johanson and Maitland Edey
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1981,
$16.95) could be the unusual center-
piece around which to build an exciting
course. Fascinating and clearly writ-
ten, the average high school student
can understand much of it. LUCY is a
great suspense story. The book discuss-
es Johanson' s discovery of a skeleton he
named Lucy (after the Beatles' famous
song) found in the Afar region of Ethi-
opia in 1974. His subsequent conclu-
sion, drawn over the next three years,
is that Lucy is an entirely new species,
Australopithecus afarensis ? the old-
est known, most complete, bipedal pre-
human in the world, ancestral to the
other Australopithecines and to Homo.
Any student wondering what it
might be like to become a physical
anthropologist could find inspiration
here. Physical anthropologists, many
being competitive and self-protective,
do not all agree on Lucy's importance.
Richard and Mary Leakey are among the
most famous of the dissenters. Part
of the book's charm lies in the open
way in which Johanson reveals his self-
doubts, anxieties, arguments with his
partner, Tim White, and triumphant
cunning toward the Leakeys. Johanson 's
other, more essential ingredients in
&*
_? Ik
the creative process are readily
apparent: his excellent training, meti-
culous labor, good luck (he found 13
more skeletal remains which he consi-
ders to be of the same species as Lucy)
,
imagination, and ability to put aside
his biases.
The book's utility also lies in its
giving a history of the discoveries of
human origins and their significance
(including some fresh and lively anec-
dotal material about well-known finds
such as the Taung baby and the Piltdown
hoax) , an explanation of dating techni-
ques, and diagrams and photographs of
excellent clarity and relevance.
Joyce Abell
Wbotton High School
Montgomery County Public
Schools
RECEPTION/ REUNION FOR TEACHERS
Past and present participants in
the Anthropology for Teachers Program
gathered together on a recent Sunday
evening in the Naturalist Center to
drink wine, greet old friends, and
make new friends. All classes from
the past three years were well repre-
sented, as was the newest generation
? with six week old Alexander Brooks
Yellen sleeping peacefully through it
all ! Several teachers spoke on recent
anthropological adventures, including
Bob Loftus on his Earthwatch fieldwork
in the Mojave Desert searching for
American Indian petroglyphs; John Day
on teaching a cross-cultural economics
unit; Martha Williams on her summer
archeology field course for high school
students; and Judy Elliott on her stu-
dents' fundraising efforts to help Geza
Teleki establish a chimpanzee game pre-
serve in Sierra Leone.
At the conclusion of the evening
teachers made suggestions regarding
speakers, panel discussions, and films
for evening meetings next year. Two
energetic teachers suggested we initiate
a pre-college anthropology teachers'
association, an idea we plan to pursue!
If anyone is interested in helping form
an association, please contact Ruth
Selig at the Smithsonian at 357-1592.
BONING UP
The Naturalist Center has available
video programs to supplement the Natural-
ist Center's Learning Laboratory in Human
Osteology. These three tapes (more to
come) discuss an introduction to inter-
pretations of the human skeleton. A
general overview of the subject, deter-
mination of age, and interpretation of
sex differences are the topics available
for viewing in the Naturalist Center.
(Wed. -Sat., 10:30-4 p.m.; Sunday, 12-5
p.m.)
The Naturalist Center also has
available a new guide dealing with physi-
cal anthropology entitled "Bone Changes
After Death", prepared by Dr. Lucille
St. Hoyme, Curator, Physical Anthropology,
Smithsonian Institution. This publica-
tion may be purchased at the Naturalist
Center for $1.50 per copy. For addition-
al information contact the Naturalist
Center's Manager or Ass ' t. Manager at
357-1503 or 357-2804.
??.v
* "v P& vtoiA.
l/^-'
^4 1
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 15 - June 3: "Mysteries of the
Nile" by William MacDonald (George
Washington University) . This lecture
series traces the development of
archeological and cultural research
in Egypt. Classes will be held on
Wednesdays from 12-1:30 p.m. To
register call the S.I. Resident Asso-
ciate Program office at 357-3243.
Individual classes may be attended.
April 16: "In Search of Eternity,
Life and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt"
by Mohammed Saleh (Vice Director of
the Egypt Museum in Cairo)
. S.I.
Resident Associate Program lecture
at 6 p.m. in Baird Auditorium, Museum
of Natural History. Tickets (members
$2.00; nonmembers $2.50) available
at the door only.
April 21: "Collecting in Anthropology:
Ethics and Assets" by Dr. Elizabeth
King (University Museum, University
of Pennsylvania) and Elizabeth P.
Benson (former Curator, Dumbarton
Oaks)
. Anthropological Society of
Washington (A.S.W.) meeting at 8:15
p.m. in the Carmichael Auditorium,
Museum of American History.
April 22: "The Late Archaic of Plum
Nelly" by Steve Potter (National Park
Service)
. Discussion takes place in
the Archaeology Laboratory at Marist
Hall, Catholic University at 7:30 p.m.
For further information call April
Fehr at 635-5080.
April 23: "The Temple Mound Builders
of the Mississippi Valley" by Dr.
Bruce Smith (Associate Curator, Depart-
ment of Anthropology, Smithsonian Insti-
tution) . S.I. Resident Associate Pro-
gram lecture at 8 p.m. in Carmichael
Auditorium, Museum of American History.
For ticket information call the S.I.
Resident Associate Program office at
357-2196.
April 24: "The Sons of Hadji Cmar" by
Dr. William Trousdale (Curator, Depart-
ment of Anthropology, Smithsonian Insti-
tution) . Film and discussion will be
held in the Baird Auditorium, Museum
of Natural History at 12 p.m. Free.
April 25 - June 20: Alexandria Urban
Archaeology Program conducted by Steve
Shephard (Ass ' t? Director of Alexandria
Archaeological Research Center) . Course
entails the excavation of 18th and 19th
century upper-class residences in Old
Town Alexandria, on Saturdays, from
1-3 p.m. To register call the S.I.
Resident Associate Program office at
357-3243.
May 19: "Can Linguistic Evidence Build
a Defense Theory in a Criminal Law Case?"
by Dr. Robert W. Shuy (Georgetown Uni-
versity) . A.S.W. meeting at 8:15 p.m.
in the Carmichael Auditorium, Museum of
American History.
TEACHERS' CORNER:
STUDENT ETHNOGRAPHY
Editor's Note : How can students ex-
perience fieldwork? In the last is-
sue of Anthro ' Notes , Martha Williams
'
article "Fieldwork in the Classroom"
described how her anthropology students
interviewed foreign students in her
school's English as a Second Language
classes. Another way to have students
do fieldwork is described below by
Beatrice Kleppner, a Boston teacher.
Her 11th and 12th grade students do
mini-fieldwork projects in the com-
munity at the end of their year-long
course in anthropology. Mrs. Kleppner
shares with you her instructions to
the students for preparing their
"ethnography of a small cultural unit."
Getting Started :
Choose a cultural unit for your study.
This might be a neighborhood, office,
store, a club, or an interest group.
If at all possible, choose a subject
with which you have a tie or contact.
Your criteria for selecting the cul-
tural unit are simplicity, accessibil-
ity ,unobstrusiveness, permissibility,
and recurring activities. Before
setting to work be sure to discuss
your choice with me.
A Note on Ethical Responsibility :
Before starting fieldvrork, you should
be aware of your responsibility with
respect to ethical problems which may
arise. The American Anthropological
Association's publication, "A.A.A.
Principles of Professional Responsi-
bility" (A.A.A. NEWSLETTER 11(9), 1970),
is required reading.
Style :
A successful ethnographic study requires
perceptive and detailed observation and
a skillful narrative style. It is im-
portant that you study at least one
professional monograph. I recommend
Spradley and Mann's COCKTAIL WAITRESS
(John Wiley and Sons, 1975) or Carol
Stack's ALL OUR KIN (Harper and Row, 1975)
.
Point of View:
To carry out a successful study you must
be very sensitive to the point of view
of your subjects. For instance, a cafe*'
could be described from the point of view
of the customer, the waiter, the owner,
the dishwasher, the chef, the janitor, or
the cabaret performer. Your study may
concentrate on one point of view; never-
theless /you should be aware of all the
points of view involved, not least your
own point of view.
Your Notebook :
Keep a record of your research in a separ-
ate notebook. This will be the prime re-
source for writing your paper and must be
handed in with it. The notebook should
contain:
1) a description of the physical set-
ting of the institution or scene.
A map or sketch can be helpful;
2) a short introductory description of
the cultural unit, with a brief his-
tory, if appropriate;
3) a list of informants with a descrip-
tion of each;
4) a list of questions that you will ask;
5) the responses of your informants.
Direct quotes from these responses
will be an important part of your
paper. Wherever possible! quotes
should be verbatim. A tape recorder
can be useful, and the tapes can lateJ
be transcribed in your notebook;
6) notes and jottings on your own opin-
ions and observations as they occur
and dates for each entry; and
7) a glossary of specialized terms or
slang used by the person or persons
you observe.
(cont'd^
The Paper :
Before starting to write your paper,
you must organize and analyze your
data. At this point you may very well
find you have not asked the right ques-
tions or that the data is incomplete.
If this should occur, please discuss
the problem with me during our weekly
conference. The paper should include:
1
.
Introduction
A general statement about the
subject and your reason for
choosing it. If possible,
attempt to relate it to univer-
sal cultural concerns. For in-
stance, a study of a nursing
home could refer to the uni-
versal problems of aging in all
societies and to ethnographic
studies, such as Leo Simmon's
ROLE OF THE AGED IN PRIMITIVE
SOCIETY (Hamden, Ct. : Shoe-
string Press, 1970)
.
2. Description of the Cultural
Unit.
This is drawn directly from
your notes.
3. Discussion of Your Fieldwork
Experience
Describe how you found your infor-
mants, characteristics of infor-
mants, defects in your approach,
and any special problems you might
have encountered. (For example, a
study of a student lounge may hit
sensitive information about van-
dalism.
)
4. The Main Body of the Paper
This will include your data, your
observations, and your thoughts.
Each should be clearly identified.
It is important that you pull to-
gether and clearly analyze the data
in order to support your interpre-
tation.
5. The Conclusion
Your study should point to a few
dominant themes. These should be
clarified or emphasized in your
conclusion.
6. Footnotes and Bibliography
Beatrice S. Kleppner
Beaver Country Day School
Boston, Massachusetts
(Editor's Note: see bibliography next page)
BIBLIOGRAPHY ON STUDENT FIELD PROJECTS
Crane, Julia G. and Michael V.
Angrosino. FIELD PROJECTS IN
ANTHROPOLOGY: A STUDENT HANDBOOK.
Morristown, N.J.: General Learn-
ing Press, 1974.
While designed for undergraduate
students, the book gives 14 projects
that could be revised for high
school students. The projects re-
present some of the most commonly
used data collection techniques
such as making maps, charting kin-
ship, collecting life histories,
and digging into cultural history.
A readable text, appropriately de-
signed activities, and an excellent
selected annotated bibliography
for each project result in a valu-
able resource for teachers.
Hunter, David E. and Mary Ann B. Foley.
DOING ANTHROPOLOGY: A STUDENT
CENTERED APPROACH TO CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY. N.Y.: Harper and
Row, 1976.
Applying an easy-to-use, inductive
approach, this book consists of
27 exercises with extended dis-
cussions. It is designed to teach
students with little or no pre-
vious exposure to anthropology how
to observe and think like an anthro-
pologist, not how to master field
techniques. The exercises focus on
observations; settings; categoriza-
tion, especially of food; ego and
his networks; and patterns. The
exercises are short, directed to a
single point, and do not demand
that the student juggle a large
amount of data
Spradley, James P. and David W. McCurdy.
THE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE: ETHNO-
GRAPHY IN A COMPLEX SOCIETY. Chicago:
Science Research Associates, 1972.
An excellent source by authors who
believe in active student involve-
ment. From their teaching experience,
they found students did not know what
questions to ask and how to ask them.
The first section contains five chap-
ters: covering goals of fieldwork,
how to find a culture to study in
our own complex society, how to find
and work with informants > ethnograph-
ic semantics, and how to analyze field
data and write an ethnographic account.
The second section includes a dozen
sample ethnographies ranging from
an ethnography of a junior high school
to an ethnography of fire-fighters.
The book concludes with a six page
bibliography.
Spradley, James P. THE ETHNOGRAPHIC INTER-
VIEW. N.Y. : Holt, Rinehart, and
Winston, 1979.
Compared to THE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE,
the next two books by Spradley are
far more detailed in methodology for
conducting caimunity fieldwork and
the instructions are for the student,
not the teacher. The two volumes,
however, do not contain sample student
ethnographies. This excellent book
clarifies the nature of ethnography
and gives specific guidelines for do-
ing ethnography for professionals and
students without long years of train-
ing in anthropology. Spradley sets
forth 12 major interview tasks design-
ed to guide the investigator from the
starting point of locating an informant
to the goal of writing the ethnography.
Spradley, James P. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION.
N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 198'
The step-by-step instructions show the
beginning student how to do fieldwork
in their community using participant
observation. The activities take sev-
eral hours each week. The goal is to
begin and complete a qualitative re-
search project. This very practical
and clearly explained book is divided
into ftrfo parts: 1) ethnography and
culture; and 2) the 12 step develop-
mental research sequence.
SUMMER ON THE MALL
Summer '81 on the Mall promises
to be an exciting time. A major ex-
hibit "5,000 Years of Korean Art"
opens at the Museum of Natural History
July 15th. The Festival of American
Folklife will hold ten days of acti-
vities on the Washington Monument
grounds, from June 24th through
July 5th.
"5,000 Years of Korean Art", the
most comprehensive exhibition of its
kind ever shown in this country, pro-
vides a rare view of a rich but little
known artistic heritage. "Bounded on
the north by the vast land mass of
China and pointing south to the Jap-
anese islands, Korea was destined to
play an important cultural role in
East Asian history. The artistic
traditions of these neighboring coun-
tries were quickly absorbed, passed on,
and often transformed by a distinctly
Korean vision." Objects in the ex-
hibition date from 3,000 B.C. through
the 20th century. They will be on
view in the new special exhibits gal-
lery from July 15th through September
30th.
For this exhibition, the Smithsonian
will sponsor a wide range of lectures, free
films, symposia, classes, workshops, craft
demonstrations, and performances of Korean
dance and music. For further information
call the Office of Education at the Museum
of Natural History - 357-2810.
The Festival of American Folklife
celebrates its 15th anniversary by moving
back to summer! Iwo five-day segments,
June 24-28, and July 1-5, will take place,
with events occurring between 11 a.m. and
5:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sunday.
Evening concerts will occur as well.
Plans for the festival include a variety
of performances and demonstrations by
Yugoslav-American cooks, dancers, and
singers; musicians and craftsworkers from
the southeastern United States; adobe
housebuilders from the Southwest; travel-
ing performers of the tent show era in
America; and native American Ojibwe
(Chippewa) craftsworkers and musicians
from Minnesota. For the first time an
area will be devoted to programs on the
Folklore of the Deaf. In addition, a
children's area will be featured where
children can learn as well as teach tradi-
tional games, crafts, and songs.
For further information on the Folk-
life Festival call 287-3424.
10
SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
Alexandria Archaeological Research
Center offers volunteer opportunities
for students and adults in the ex-
ploration of the social history of
Old Town Alexandria through archival
work and excavation. This season the
concentration is on the survey of
18th and 19th century upper-class
neighborhoods. Those interested can
call Steve Shephard at 838-4399. The
following schools will be offering
archeology field school programs this
summer in cooperation with the A.A.R.C.
George Mason University from May 25 -
June 26 (for information write Shepard
Krech, Anthropology Program, George
Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
22030, or call 323-2904) ; and George
Washington University (see page 11)
.
Catholic University is continuing its
intensive investigation of the paleo-
Indian complex at Thunderbird Archeo-
logical Park near Front Royal, Virgin-
ia conducted by Dr. William Gardner.
First session runs June 22 through
July 10; second session runs July 13
through July 31. To register write
to Summer Sessions Office, McMahon
Hall, Room 116, Catholic University,
Washington, D.C. 20064.
Fairfax County Archeological Survey
offers volunteer opportunities in
survey, excavation, and laboratory
work in both historic and prehistoric
archeology. High school and college
interns may receive credit. For fur-
ther information call Mike Johnson
(prehistoric archeologist) or Ed
Chatelain (historic archeologist)
at 642-5807.
Fairfax County Public Schools sponsors
a six-week historic archeology course
for high school students. The course
entails two weeks of classroom study
and four weeks of excavation. The
field school will operate from June 29
through August 8. Deadline for applica-
tion is May 20th. For information
^jwllv^Kv-/ ^
write: Dr. Frank Taylor,
6131 WiJlston Drive, Falls Church, Virgin-
ia 28044, or call 536-2030 ext. 220. Non-
residents of Fairfax County may apply at
the nearest Fairfax County high school.
George Washington University is in its
eighth season conducting a summer field
program in Mesoamerican Archeology and
History The program will follow the
"cultural heritage of Middle America ?
from the earliest ice-age hunters, through
the emergence of agriculture, the achieve-
ments of pre-Columbian civilizations, the
Spanish Conquest, to the present-day de-
velopment of Mexico." The session will be
held from July 1 - July 28. A deposit
must be made before June 1st. For further
information write to Professor Robert L.
Humphrey, Department of Anthropology,
George Washington University, Washington,
D.C. 20052, or call 676-7075.
11
George Washington University spon-
sors two four-week field sessions in
historical archeology in Alexandria,
Virginia. The field sessions (June 15 -
July 10; July 15 - August 11) will fo-
cus on the excavations of 18th and 19th
century black households. For further
information and application form, write
to Dr. Pamela J. Cressey, Field Director,
Alexandria Archaeological Research Cen-
ter, City Hall, Box 178, Alexandria,
Virginia 22313. Applications must be
submitted by May 15th.
Washington Area Studies Sumner
Institute of George Washington Univer-
sity is offering a special program
"The Folklore of the Washington Region"
from May 11 - July 2 on Thursday even-
ings from 6-9 p.m. The course will
offer a regional view of the tradition-
al life in the Washington area. "Spe-
cial emphasis will be placed on the
role of governments in the description
and analysis of the area's folk cultures,
and the impact of governmental activity
upon area residents, their way of life
and the cultural metabolism of the re-
gion as a whole." For further informa-
tion,contact Division of University
and Summer Students at 676-6360.
Maryland Geological Survey , Department
of Natural Resources is conducting a
controlled surface collection in St.
Mary's County. To volunteer for this
project, contact Mr. Epperson at 338-
7235.
University of Maryland is offering an
eight week summer fieldwork session at
a 17th century colonial house site at
St. Mary's City, Maryland. The session
includes five weeks of excavation and
three weeks of survey. High school
teachers and students are welcome to
apply. For further information call
Ann Palkovich at 454-6970.
Summer Study in Sri Lanka (formerly
Ceylon) Program sponsored jointly by
the University of Maryland and the Uni-
versity of Kelanuja is designed to in-
troduce students to traditional Sir
Lankan culture through lectures, field
trips, and independent field studies.
Serious students must apply irmiediately.
Call the Study Abroad Office of the Uni-
versity of Maryland at 454-3043.
The Summer Institute of Development
Studies is sponsoring an interdisciplinary
approach with course offerings such as
"Women in Development", "Anthropological
Field Methods", "Population and Fertility"/
and "Rethinking the Problems of Develop-
ment" taught by visiting eminent professors
of the Third World. For more information,
write to Dr. Karen Rawlings, Director of
International Affairs, 113 N. Administra-
tion, University of Maryland, College Park,
Maryland 20742, or call 454-3008.
New York University , in cooperation with
the National Park Service, is sponsoring
an Archaeological Field School from
July 27 - September 4 in the District of
Columbia ' s Rock Creek Park which contains
both prehistoric and historic sites. For
further information contact Dr. Bert Salwen,
Department of Anthropology, 25 Waverly Place,
New York, New York 10003, or call (212)
598-3257.
Smithsonian Institution's Office of Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education offers
two separate seminars for elementary and
high school teachers on the museum teach-
ing approach. Two workshops for teachers
include using museums to teach writing
and architecture in the classroom. Also
available is the "mixed bag series" of
special "behind the scene" tours. For
further information, call Tom Lowderbaugh
at 357-3049.
Field School Listings in anthropology and
archeology are available from:
American Anthropological Association
1703 New Hampshire Ave. , N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009 ($2.50)
Archaeological Institute of America
260 West Broadway
New York, New York 10013
($3.50; $1.50 for members)
^OS^OJV ^otf^ES
ANTHRO -NOTES, Winter 1981 inaugurated a new regular feature, BOSTON NOTES to be
compiled by three Bostonians: John Herzog from Northeastern University, Mary Anne
Wolfe from North Reading High School, and Beatrice Kleppner from the Beaver Country
Day School. BOSTON NOTES will offer precollegiate anthropology news from the North-
east of general interest to teachers and anthropologists throughout the country.
We have developed BOSTON NOTES to serve the needs of these teachers, and to pro-
mote the exchange of ideas between Washington and Boston. We hope that Boston teach-
ers will contribute articles to ANTHRO-NOTES as well as send us names of teachers who
would also like to receive ANTHRO ?NOTES free of charge. Send both articles and names
to Ann Kaupp, Department of Anthropology, Stop 112, Smithsonian Institution, Washing-
ton, D.C. 20560.
CONTRASTING REPORTS: A "WRITING - - ANTHROPOLOGY MODEL"
By presenting contrasting accounts
of life in another culture, a teacher
can increase student interest in that
culture. The contrasts also help stu-
dents to develop critical thinking
skills as they try to construct a
more subtle and complete picture of
the society than one account alone
would provide.
I have found that this approach
works well for the study of any soci-
ety. But I first began to develop it
in depth when I was faced with a mass
of contrasting, and sometimes contra-
dictory, information about the situa-
tion of the Yanomamo Indians in south-
ern Venezuela and northern Brazil.
The following unit plan! focuses
on the Yanomamo, whose situation is
important and controversial. They are
frequently cited as being among the
world's fiercest people, while at the
same time their way of life is being
threatened and some Yanomamo themselves
are reported to be in danger. The pic-
ture students have of the Yanomamo may
influence their thoughts about the
nature of human aggression as well as
any position they might take toward the
problems currently faced by the Yanomamo
and other indigenous groups in Latin
America.
* My unit is based on a "Writing ?
History" model designed by Henry A.
Giroux, "Teaching Contents and Thinking
Through Writing, " SOCIAL EDUCATION,
March 1979, pp. 190-194.
13
On the opening day of the unit,
students are given a "set of informa-
tion" about the Yanomamo upon which
all authors agree. This includes
their location, village sizes, type
of horticulture, kinship system, and
the statement that much fighting and
raiding has been reported in some
areas.
For homework the class is divid-
ed into thirds, each group being as-
signed an excerpt from a different
source to read and report on. The
three sources are YANOMAMO: THE
FIERCE PEOPLE by Napoleon Chagnon
(or a shorter article by Chagnon)
,
THE YANOMAMO INDIANS by William J.
Smole, and THE GEOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE
published by the Anthropology Resource
Center (A.R.C.).
The students' reports usually
create some surprise because the pic-
tures of the Yanomamo which emerge
are quite different in their emphasis.
The students reading Chagnon typically
report that the Yanomamo are very
"fierce", frequently raid each others'
villages to capture women, practice
female infanticide, and lose 24% of
their adult men in warfare. The
students also report that aggressive
headmen from large lineages dominate
village politics.
Students reading Smole report
that some Yanomamo try to appear
"fearless", but that this character-
istic varies greatly with location.
Students report that "gentle" and
"tender" also aptly describe the
people; that the social structure is
egalitarian; that leadership is vari-
able and most often in the hands of
vigorous, mature males; that some
matriarchs have great influence; and
that young women speak up loudly with
their views.
Students reporting on the A.R.C.
article tell about the disruptive
effects of modern trade goods, high-
way construction and* missionary acti-
vity on traditional Yanomamo culture.
They note that 54% of all adult deaths
among the Yanomamo are due to epidemic
disease.
The three lists of information are
put on the board and examined for areas
of agreement and conflict. Students u-
sually question why the people sound so
different in the three reports. At this
point, I introduce the concept, "frame
of reference": a person's most basic
interests, beliefs and values shape the
questions asked, data collected, and
conclusions drawn. We discuss how Smole,
a geographer ; Chagnon, an anthropologist;;
and people at A.R.C, a center for "pub-
lic interest" anthropology might differ
in their frames of reference. Students
read forewords,introductions, and con-
cluding chapters for clues.
At this point, students are asked
to write their own "organizing idea"
about the situation of the Yanomamo.
They will test their generalization by
reading more material from a number of
authors (see Bibliography) and by view-
ing several ethnographic films about the
Yanomamo. The films include "The Axe
Fight", which is usually deemed less vio-
lent than the local hockey games; "Morn-
ing Flowers", a "slice of life" at dawn
in a Yanomamo village; and "A Father
Washes His Children", a study of a shaman
with his children and grandchildren.
These and many other ethnographic films
are available from Documentary Education-
al Resources, 5 Bridge St., Watertown,
Ma. 02172. A film about the effects of
trie highway construction on the Yanomamo
may be available from A.R.C. in the future.
During several days of additional
"data collecting", students are directed to
seek out the frames of reference of authors
and filmmakers whose work they use. In
each case we discuss how the subject chosen,
hypotheses, data collected, and fram
reference may be influencing each other.
After discussing the films and read-
ings, students work in pairs or individ-
ually to write up their own reports on
14
the Yanomamo, centering the reports
on the issues of "fierceness", threats
to the Yanomamo, or another aspect of
Yanomamo life which has struck them
as important. In larger groups or as
a class, the students then check the
consistency between their evidence
and their conclusions. Finally, they
help each other to recognize aspects
of their own frames of reference and
how these have influenced their reports.
Mary Anne Wolfe
North Reading High School
North Reading, Massachusetts
*For more information on other contrasting
accounts units developed by other teachers,
please contact Mary Anne Wolfe, c/o North
Reading High School, North Reading, Ma.
YANOMAMO BIBLIOGRAPHY
Biocca, Ettiore. YANOMAMO: THE NAR-
RATIVE OF A WHITE GIRL CAPTURED
BY AMAZONIAN INDIANS. N.Y.:
E.P. Dutton, 1971.
Chagnon, Napoleon. YANOMAMO: THE
FIERCE PEOPLE. (Case Studies in
Cultural Anthropology
.
) N .Y .
:
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1974,
Chagnon, Napoleon. STUDYING THE
YANOMAMO. (Studies in Anthropo-
logical Method) N.Y.: Holt,
Rinehart, and Winston, 1974.
Davis, Sandy and Robert Matthews. THE
GEOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE. Cambridge:
The Anthropology Resource Center,
1976.
Harris, Marvin. GOWS, PIGS, WARS AND
WITCHES: THE RIDDLES OF CULTURE.
N.Y.: Random House, 1974.
Smole, William J. THE YANOMAMO INDIANS.
Austin, Texas: University of
Texas Press, 1976.
<*^k.
15
DIARY OF A FIELD PROJECT
(Second installment. First in Anthro <
Notes, Winter 1981.)
February 1981
Had a most enjoyable phone call
with Giovanna Neudorfer, Vermont State
Archeologist . It seems that histori-
cal archeologists are scarce as dia-
monds in Vermont. Nevertheless , she
managed to find a couple of names for
me. I have written to them, but so
far there is no reply. G.N. says
that there are lots of sites to be
explored. She is worried about pot
hunters. I told her that I am too.
She urged us to tie the dig to some
historical problem, like sources of
kitchen ware, the function of Vermont
stone chambers (potato worship?) or
changes from sheep to cattle raising.
G.N. 's prescription for finding a
good problem: learn everything pos-
sible about the history of the site ?
families, occupations , legends and
gossip. Good problems will then arise
spontaneously . She recommended visits
to the archives at Montpelier and
Burlington, and promised to send me
some material . Best of all, she gave
me a lead to Dr. Allison Saville who
has been leading high school students
on a dig for the past two years.
Washington' s Birthday Recess
Have received a fat package from
G.N. comprised of some site survey
forms and a model report on an excava-
tion of a cabin site. Over the recess
I visited Dr. Saville at Saxton's
River, Vermont. He is extremely
friendly and spent the whole morning
showing me around. The dig, a colonial
tavern, is a few miles from the Vermont
Academy, his school. We trekked to the
site through the snow on an abandoned
road. It was unseasonably warm and
two farmers were busy tapping maples ?
one hammering in the spouts, the other
working with an electric drill. Thanks
to the thaw, the excavation was visible.
???s?feL
4-0^s
The grid lines had weathered the winter
intact. A number of potsherds were push-
ing up through the soil ? an early spring
crop of artifacts heaved up by the frost.
Dr. S. has a small room in the school for
a site lab. He invited me to bring up
my class for a weekend in April. We will
go.
I found a local history of Billsville
at the General Store. Not authoritative,
but interesting. It has a reassuring sum-
mary: "Billsville has changed little dur-
ing this century and as it looks ahead,
its residents anticipate little innovation.
On the way back to Boston I visited the
Brattleboro courthouse on a whim. Disap-
pointed not to find any Billsville deeds,
but delighted to discover a safe full of
hand copied wills, all bound neatly in
ledgers. They are certain to contain some
interesting problems. I must return with
my class.
Beatrice S. Kleppner
Beaver Country Day School
Boston, Massachusetts
AISITHRD* NOTES is part of The Anthropology for Teachers Program.
This program is funded by the National Science Foundation and
conducted by the Anthropology Departments of George Washington
University and the Smithsonian Institution. Program Staff:
Dr. Alison S. Brooks, Director; JoAnne Lanouette and Ruth 0.
Selig. If you want information about the program or your name
added to the mailing list, write: Ann Kaupp, Department of
Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Stop 112,
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560.
ANTHRD-NOTES STAFF: Ann Kaupp, JoAnne Lanouette, Ruth 0. Selig,
editors; Dr. Robert Humphrey, Mr. RDbert
Lewis, artists.
Kaupp NHB 363
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20560
OFFICIAL BUSINESS
PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. S300
POSTAGE AND FEES PAID
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
FIRST CLASS MAIL